A Little Push
by Kagehime3
Summary: Mirajane comes across the perfect mission for a matchmaking scheme, and immediately sends Gajeel, Natsu, Levy, and Lucy to handle it. Couples resort, enchanted cherry blossoms, and rune traps certainly make for an interesting mission. Expect adult content starting at chapter 13. Gruvia chapter 20. Laxus x Mira chapter 21. Hints at Jerza and Elfgreen.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! I've been working on this multichapter GaLe story for awhile, and I'm finally at a point that I feel ready to start publishing it. I'm currently at about 11 chapters, but only about half way through the plot. I'll try to keep updates regular, probably once a week. For now I'm going to upload the first two chapters so you all can get an idea of what the story's about.**

**This does take place after the 7 year time skip and the guild tournament, but, again, since I don't know what's going to happen with that arc I'm not going to elaborate on it (especially since chapters 274 and 275 have created a lot of questions about where it's going). This will be rated M, there is an explicit LIME in chapter 11, and I may or may not put in a lemon... still debating that.**

**SUMMARY: Mirajane comes across a mission that gives her the ultimate matchmaking plan that she's sure will finally get two of her favorite dragon slayer pairs, Gajeel and Levy, and Natsu and Lucy, together. Main pairing is GaLe, NaLu is secondary. MiraxLaxus and GrayxJuvia hinted at.**

**Disclaimer: As always, I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Hiro Mashima (the ultimate troll with that GrayLu 'scene' in chapter 275).  
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><p>It was on a strangely quiet afternoon at Fairy Tail that Mirajane found herself sorting out new mission requests. Glancing around the guild the eldest take-over sibling giggled as she realized the reason for the peace; a distinct lack of male dragon slayers, only young Wendy was left out of their resident dragons. Going back to her work, Mira sighed at the few high paying jobs they were receiving.<p>

After the guild games, though their rank improved significantly, the guild was still finding it difficult to once again garner the work they had in the past. Then again, their tendency to destroy more than absolutely necessary could be a factor in the lack of jobs. With a sigh, Mira ran through the last few requests, noting them in the mission book for records.

'_Escort a noble… take care of some bandits… find a lost watch… solve an ancient riddle… settle a bet between friends,' _Mira frowned at how mundane these requests were. _'Really, they need a mage to find a watch… Wait a minute… what's this?'_

The white haired woman couldn't help but jump in glee as she came across a request that would be perfect for a certain group of wizards. The possibilities of what could occur on this particular mission had her eyes shining with hope. Granted it was quite dangerous, but the pay was good, and the mages she had in mind for the job could handle just about anything. Shining brightly in her enthusiasm, Mirajane made her way over to the red haired Titania, Erza Scarlet, and the half naked ice mage, Gray Fullbuster.

The two mages looked up from their conversation to see a sparkly Mirajane smiling down on them. They knew she was plotting something and could only pray for whoever she had her sights set on, and hope it wasn't them.

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><p>"Ahhhh, it's good to be home, Plue," the blonde celestial mage, Lucy Heartfilia sighed to her canine stellar spirit as she unlocked the door to her apartment.<p>

"Puu- puu~n," said spirit purred in agreement.

Upon entering her apartment, though, the young mage fell back in shock with a scream. She was used to her teammates breaking into her apartment, Natsu Dragneel more than anyone, but her newest surprise guests were two of the last people she'd think would break in. Sitting in her living room chair was her best friend, and fellow book lover; Levy McGarden. The solid script mage was giggling uncontrollably at her friend's reaction while cuddling with a smirking Pantherlily on her lap. More shocking than the bluenette's presence was the sight of the scowling, fearsome iron danger slayer, Gajeel Redfox, sitting comfortably at her dinner table.

"What in the world are you guys doing in my apartment?" Lucy asked as she picked herself up off the floor. "Do I have a 'welcome Fairy Tail mages' sign over my house?"

"Heehee, come on Lu-chan," Levy began once she stopped giggling, "You've been gone on that mission with Natsu for two weeks and I wanted to see you. I was hoping you might have a new chapter of your book."

"Couldn't you have just waited until you saw me at the guild, or at least until I was actually home?" Lucy whined as she made her way to the desk, intent on finding her most recent work for her friend despite her annoyance at the uninvited entry.

"Well Natsu and the others said you don't mind it when they break in," Levy admitted with a small laugh. "Natsu even told me the locks on your windows are loose, so it's easy to get in."

"They're loose because Natsu broke them!" Lucy exclaimed as she handed the other mage a stack of papers. "Anyway, I guess its okay, but that doesn't explain why Gajeel is here."

"I was bored and thought it'd be funny watching the shrimp break into your place," the iron dragon said with a shrug before mildly glaring in his cat's direction. "At least it would have been funny if someone hadn't helped her by flying her up."

"I'm not a sadist like you, Gajeel," Lily began in a deep voice that did not seem to fit with his cuddly appearance, "I did not find the idea of Levy possibly falling and injuring herself amusing."

"Tsh, I woulda caught her," Gajeel grumbled before laying his head on the table to sulk, missing the slight blush creeping up on the blue haired mage's face.

With a sigh Lucy just accepted the presence of the guild's strangest pair of friends before walking towards her bathroom with the intent to take a relaxing bath.

"Levy, I'm gonna get cleaned up; make sure Gajeel doesn't eat any of my kitchen utensils."

"Okay, Lu-chan," the bluenette responded distractedly as she intently read through her friend's latest work.

"Humph," Gajeel grunted from his seat, "I don't need a baby-sitter."

"Yes you do," was Lily's amused remark from his comfortable place on Levy's lap.

"Shut up, cat!"

After a few minutes of sitting and watching Levy read, the large dragon slayer began to get bored and hungry, and decided the other mage needed to know. As much as he enjoyed watching her study her magic, watching her read for pleasure got boring unless he had some good iron to munch on.

"Oi, Shrimp," Gajeel called out to the small girl across the room. Not getting an immediate response, the man growled before repeating himself louder. After trying unsuccessfully five times to get the woman's attention, only succeeding in having his cat laugh at him because of his obvious annoyance at being ignored, the man stomped across the room and put his face between the paper and Levy's face.

Startled out of her reading, the blue haired girl pulled back, hoping that her face wasn't too red from her blush.

"Gajeel! What are you doing?" the younger mage practically shrieked in her surprise.

"I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes," Gajeel growled out before backing away to sit on the small coffee table in front of the living room chair. "I'm bored… and hungry."

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?" Levy huffed, "Go back to the guild then, you saw what you came to see, so there's no point in staying."

"Eh? It's boring at the guild, too." The man shrugged in response, before smirking as he got an idea of what Levy could do to solve at least one of his problems. "Can ya make me some iron?"

With a sigh the solid script mage made a small word of iron, much smaller than the one she had made for him on Tenrou Island, and handed it to the slightly disappointed man across from her.

"Why ya skimpin out on me, Shrimp? The last one you made for me was ten times the size of this one," Gajeel asked as he proceeded to eat the 'I' and 'R' in one bite.

"We were in battle, you were injured, I was worried… of course that one was going to be bigger." Levy explained in annoyance, she just wanted to go back to reading Lucy's book. "And anyway, we're in Lucy's apartment; if I made one that big it would probably fall through the floor. If you want I'll make you more, just quit whining and let me read."

Gajeel grinned as he watched the easily irritated mage make five more words of iron, and seated himself on the floor as he piled them up on the coffee table. He was a little happier now, he got food, and got some of the script mage's attention; he couldn't help but think she looked cute when she was annoyed with him. As long as she didn't get mad at him again; her bag of books didn't feel too great when it collided with his face.

The trio then let a companionable silence fall over them, only interrupted by the sound of Gajeel's eating or an occasional snore from the now sleeping Lily. The peace was broken only ten minutes later when they heard a loud crash and scream coming from the bathroom. They looked up in time to see a pink haired dragon slayer fly across the room, landing with a groan on the floor next to Levy.

"NATSU!" A visibly fuming, towel clad Lucy screamed from the door, "Don't break into the bathroom when I'm in it, you idiot!"

With an exhausted huff the blonde slammed the door shut again, hard enough to make the terrified dragon slayer wince from his seat on the floor. Only a second later, though, the door was thrown open again as a blue ball of fur was sent flying into the man's face, successfully knocking him back to the ground. Once Natsu felt it was safe again, he picked himself up to look at the faces of the others in the room. Gajeel looked like he was trying not to laugh at his fellow dragon as he sat pouting on the floor, and Levy and Lily were frowning down at him from the chair.

"What?" Natsu innocently asked.

"Never knew you were such a pervert, Salamandar," Gajeel teased.

"Oi! Don't go lumping me in with stripper ice freak!" Natsu shouted at the grinning man across from him.

"Really, why shouldn't I when you just broke into Bunny Girl's bathroom when I'm sure you could smell she was in there," the black haired man said knowingly as he finished off the iron Levy had conjured for him.

"Hey, Happy! Let's go raid Lucy's frig!" Natsu suddenly hollered, completely disregarding Gajeel's accusation as he and his blue exceed went running for the kitchen.

"AYE!"

"I'm starting to think his stupidity is just an act," Gajeel grunted.

"Poor, Lu-chan," was all Levy could say as she watched the fire dragon slayer disappear into the other room before turning to Gajeel, "Maybe you should help her out and bolt all her windows shut."

"Gi hee, prolly won't last long before Salamandar just destroys the whole window, but it'd be funny to watch," Gajeel admitted in amusement.

Any further plotting was interrupted as the two heard yet another crash, this time drawing their attention to the fireplace as a rather naked Gray dusted off the ash he landed in. Once satisfied, the ice mage looked up at the rather shocked and confused occupants of the room and waved in greeting.

"Yo! You're here, too, that'll make this easier," Gray said.

"Ummm, Gray," Levy began, "your clothes…"

The man looked down to see his state of undress and cursed to himself before heading to Lucy's dresser where he stashed extra clothes for just such an emergency.

"Anyway," Gray started as he pulled on a pair of black pants, "is that stupid flame-brain here?"

"Oi! Icicle, what'd ya call me?" Natsu hollered as he walked back into the room with Happy, both with their arms full of Lucy's food.

"I said you're an idiot, you stupid squinty-eyed bastard," the ice mage growled at his rival, "but I don't have time to fight with you. Where's Lucy?"

"She's in the bathroom getting dressed," Natsu shrugged between mouthfuls of fire chicken.

To Levy's surprise, Gray turned towards the bathroom with a rather strange smile on his face.

"Well then, I'll just go get her then…" Gray said nonchalantly as he moved to open the bathroom door laughing under his breath at what could possibly be beyond the door. Before he could open it though, he was punched in the face by an angry Lucy who had opened the door herself.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Lucy bellowed down at the ice mage who fell to the floor from the force of the punch. "Why is it so hard for you and Natsu to understand the concept of PRIVACY? And Natsu! Stop eating all my food!"

"Lucy's scary," Levy mumbled lightly while drawing Lily in closer. Gajeel nodded in agreement from the floor as they watched the blonde mage lecture and beat her two teammates.

"They deserve whatever they get," Erza calmly stated from her position on the bed.

"Ehhh?" Levy and Gajeel screeched in shock at the unexpected voice of the Titania.

"When did you get here?" Levy squeaked out.

"Just now," the red head answered, "Gray was taking too long so I came to see what was keeping him. Lucy, stop trying to kill them for a minute; Mira needs all of you back at the guild immediately."

"All of us?" Levy asked as Lucy kicked Natsu in the face one last time for good measure.

"Yes, all of you; she'll explain it to you when you get there." Erza stated while getting up and heading for the door. When no one seemed to be moving to follow her out, she turned and glared back at the others, successfully scaring them into falling in line behind her. With a nod to herself, the requip mage lead the group of confused wizards out the door and back to Fairy Tail.


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, here's chapter 2! Hope you all enjoy! Read and review!**

**Disclaimer: Do not own Fairy Tail, or characters, they belong to Mashima-sensei.**

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><p>"BUT MIRA!" Was heard ringing out in the Fairy Tail Guild as two rather distraught female mages began crawling across the table towards the innocently smiling barmaid.<p>

"Levy, Lucy; I don't know why you two have such a problem with this mission, Natsu and Gajeel seem fine with it," Mira sweetly told them, ignoring the fact that they were now pulling on her as they pled their case against the mission she found for them.

"But, but… MIRA!" Levy tried to explain before she resorted to shouting the woman's name again.

"Mira you can't do this to us!" Lucy yelled, "Whatever we did to you… we're sorry, just please don't send us… or at least don't send me!"

"Thanks a lot Lu-chan… throw me under the bus why don't you!"

"It's too late," Erza piped in from her side of the table, "Master has already approved this mission for you, so you're going."

Erza's stern tone only resulted in louder wailing from the two girls as they slumped down on the table, wondering what they did to deserve being the target of Mira's obvious scheming.

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><p><em>Flashback to 15 minutes prior<em>

_As the group of mages made their way into the guild following a very serious Erza and Gray, they could only wonder what it was that Mira needed them for. The Titania lead them to a table close to the bar, motioning for the mages to sit while she went to find the take over mage. Lucy and Levy took seats next to each other; Natsu and Gajeel taking seats on either side of the girls. Gray took a seat across from them, leaving a spot for Erza when she returned._

_A few minutes after they sat down, the armor clad mage reappeared with Mirajane and Wendy. She and the youngest dragon slayer sat with Gray while Mira stayed standing at the head of the table, smiling sweetly at the blonde and bluenette before launching into her explanation._

"_I found the perfect mission for you four," the white haired beauty began while handing the mission request to Natsu. "The mayor of Balsam needs help investigating a well known resort that has been having issues with mage guests having all of their power drained. The resort manager doesn't seem to be worried about the experiences, but the mayor is worried about tourism dropping for the entire city because of the bad publicity. He's requesting for a group of four wizards to go into the resort under cover for one week to try and find out what is causing the injuries."_

"_That doesn't sound so bad," Lucy said before looking over Natsu's shoulder to try and read more of the mission statement.  
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"_Hmm, no, not bad at all," Mira said sweetly, "You'll have your stay funded by the city, along with the separate 5,000,000 jewel reward; and if you finish the mission before the week is over, you can finish out your stay at the resort… barring it's not destroyed of course."  
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"_Sweet, paid vacation!" Lucy exclaimed while still trying to sort through all the information on the paper that Natsu seemed to not want to share with her. She wanted to see why exactly Mira thought of them for the mission; she and Natsu wasn't so surprising, but Gajeel and Levy weren't normally people they worked with on missions, and if it was for four then normally it would be Gray and Erza rounding out the group._

"_Exactly!" Mira said excitedly, glad that Lucy seemed happy about the mission so far. "At this time the only information the mayor has been able to get from the victims is something about a dragon slayer; most of their memories are fuzzy on the details, but they all are found mumbling something about a slayer."_

"_Hmmm, that explains why you want Gajeel and Natsu to go," Levy hummed in understanding, "but why do you want me to go with; I know Lucy's Natsu's teammate, so she makes sense to me, but why not send Gray, Erza, or even Wendy to complete the group?"_

"_I'm glad you asked that, Levy," Mira answered, but found herself interrupted when Lucy let out of shriek of surprise and grabbed the mission paper from Natsu in disbelief._

"_It's a couples resort?" Lucy yelled out while moving closer to Levy so the very shocked girl could read over the paper as well._

"_Well, I was just getting to that," Mira pouted at the girls, "Jade Blossom Resort and Spa; it's a mountain resort famous for catering to powerful mage couples. It has a number of activities geared towards building everlasting bonds while also helping the mages train together so they can work in-sync with each other."_

_The two girls turned their stunned expressions back to the suspiciously innocent face of the demon barmaid; their dragon slayer partners choosing to stay out of the discussion since neither of them understood exactly why they were so upset._

"_Mira," Lucy began calmly, "tell me again why exactly you thought this mission would be perfect for us four in particular."_

"_Hmmm, well Lucy, you and Natsu are teammates and best friends; you work together so well that I know you'd be able to play the role of a couple just fine. And Levy, you're the closest woman to Gajeel, and I don't think it would be hard for either of you to act like more than friends." Mira explained sweetly. "Plus, you all are soooo cute together!"_

_Both girls just dropped their jaws in amazement as they heard the barmaid practically admit that she was trying to play matchmaker. Natsu and Gajeel just stared between the shocked girls in between them and the smiling Mirajane in complete confusion._

"_Wait a minute Mira," Lucy started as she tried to come up with a valid argument against her going on this mission with Natsu, "why not Lisanna? Didn't she and Natsu have a thing before; wouldn't it be easier for them to do this together?"_

_As if on cue the youngest take-over mage appeared next to her sister, an equally sweet and innocent smile on her face as she began to answer Lucy's question._

"_We didn't have a thing, Lucy, I liked to tease him about marriage; he's really just like a brother to me," Lisanna explained, "and I agree with Mira-nee, you two are really cute together!"_

"_Lisanna!" Lucy exclaimed while trying to fight the blush on her face. Natsu just stared blankly at his childhood friend, cocking his head to the side in confusion; he really had no idea what was going on._

_As Lucy was too stunned to speak, Levy decided that it was her turn to get out of the mission._

"_I'm not the closest woman to Gajeel! What about Juvia?"_

_Mira just turned to the smaller mage who was now on her feet, looking like she was about to make a run for it if she had to, and tried to explain further._

"_While Juvia is on good terms with Gajeel; he's much more open with you. And anyway, Juvia's madly in love with Gray; that fact would probably lead to them being discovered."_

"_I also refuse to be stuck with that rain woman for a whole week as she carries on about the stripper," Gajeel interjected. Unlike Natsu, he was starting to get the idea of what was going on. He didn't particularly care about what Mira was plotting, but he did agree with her on one thing: Levy was the only one he could pull off this ruse with._

"_She's out on a joint guild mission with that bastard, Lyon, anyway," Gray growled across from them, obviously very annoyed that his 'brother' was still trying to steal his friend away._

"_See," Mira simply said, "now, if you're done arguing with me about this, I'd like to go over a few of the details."_

"_BUT MIRA!"_

_End flashback_

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><p>As the two women slumped against the older woman pleading loudly with her, their dragon slayer partners reached up to pull the girls back into their respective seats.<p>

"Oi, Shrimp, let's hear the rest of this. You're not getting out of it." Gajeel bluntly told the bluenette pouting next to him.

"But Gajeel!" Levy shouted, no longer even trying to come up with firm arguments against the mission.

"Humph, is it really so bad to pretend to be my girlfriend for a week?" The iron mage sulkily asked the girl.

"YES!" Levy exclaimed before looking at the large man's pouting face, "I mean no… wait… no, I mean… that's not it! URGH! I can't explain it here!" The girl sank against the table, deciding to just give up completely and instead focus on hiding her blushing face.

As Mira watched Levy give in, she looked to see that Lucy had resorted to just glaring at her; she decided that they could finally move on.

"Well, now that you all are in agreement," Mira began, ignoring Lucy's rather impressive growl, "I'd like to go over a few more things. You four won't be going completely alone; Gray, Erza, Wendy, and Charle will be going ahead of you to meet with the mayor and get more details from him. They'll be staying at another hotel nearby and will be ready to back you up should anything happen. Happy and Lily will also stay with them, so that if you need them they'll be available. You four will have to go straight to the hotel from the train station to avoid suspicion, but Erza will arrange for you to get the information as soon as you get to the town."

"I figured we'd send one of the Exceeds to meet you at the station with whatever we find out. Any contact between us should be kept to an absolute minimum, we'll arrange meeting times and locations after we know more." Erza explained. "We will be leaving for Balsam Saturday; you four will follow behind on Sunday. That will give Gray, Wendy, and myself a day to investigate and set up a plan for the week ahead."

At the nod of agreement from the four spies, Mira continued with her favorite part of the mission: the 'acting.'

"As for your ruse as couples," the mage explained, once again ignoring the girls' groans, "I don't think you will have to do too much. As I said, you all seem very close to your respective partner, so I don't think you'll have to do more than be more lovey-dovey. And since we do not know if there is any surveillance at the resort to ensure that the guests are couples, you will also have to share beds in case there is any late night check."

"That shouldn't be a problem for us, Luce," Natsu grinned at his friend, "we already sleep in the same bed."

"That's because you sneak in when I'm sleeping in it," Lucy groaned out. "And what do you mean by lovey-dovey, Mira?"

"Hold hands, hug… simple stuff," Mira shrugged, "Don't worry, Lucy, I don't expect you guys to do anything you are too uncomfortable with."

"Well, I'm uncomfortable with the whole mission, so I guess I shouldn't have to do it," Lucy tried to reason.

Mira just completely ignored the blonde while handing Natsu and Gajeel two envelopes, "Those contain your train tickets, resort reservations, and some spending cash for your trip… I mean mission. It's only Thursday, so you guys have a few days to practice and get ready for the mission. So, I'll leave you guys to get to work on that; I expect a flawless performance from you four."

Mira then left after enforcing her last statement with a rare glare, sending shivers down the spines of everyone but Erza.

"Alright! I don't know what's going on, but I get to beat up another dragon slayer!" Natsu suddenly yelled out while jumping on the table.

"Idiot! Weren't you listening to a word Mira was saying?" Lucy yelled back in disbelief.

Natsu just looked down at his partner in confusion, "Yeah, it was something about going to a resort, dragon slayer taking magic power, and having to share a bed."

Everyone at the table just face-palmed at the dragon slayer's denseness, they knew they shouldn't be too surprised, but they still had hope that he might have come to understand the mission a little better than he had.

"Salamandar," Gajeel sighed in annoyance, "ya gotta pretend that Bunny Girl is your girlfriend while we're there, that's why you're sharing a bed with her."

"Huh?" Natsu asked while looking back at his once again sulking partner before shrugging in indifference, "That's fine by me."

"What? Natsu, do you even know what that means?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, I'm not stupid, Luce," Natsu said in complete seriousness, "It's not as bad as you think it is. You're my best friend and partner, pretending you're my girlfriend will be the easiest part of the mission. I'm more worried about Levy and Gajeel, I mean metal head there doesn't look like the type to have a girlfriend let alone go to a couples resort with them."

"What was that you damn flame-brain?" Gajeel yelled out while sending a pillar of metal straight into Natsu's face.

Natsu just laughed while launching himself at the other dragon slayer, returning the hit with a fist full of flames.

"Even if you got a girl, I doubt you'd even know how to be a loving boyfriend," Natsu jabbed at the man's pride again. "I feel bad for Levy getting stuck with you as her partner."

"Just cuz I prefer to beat the crap out of idiots like you doesn't mean I don't know how to be nice to my girlfriend!" Gajeel yelled back while continuing to fight his dragon rival. "You're such a dense idiot you'll probably be the one to give you and Bunny Girl away! She'd be better off with that lion spirit of hers as a partner than you!"

"I'm a much better boyfriend for her than Loke!" Natsu yelled back.

From there the fight escalated, drawing in more of the guild members as they stopped arguing and began focusing on beating each other senseless. Lucy and Levy just sat forgotten at the table, curling in on themselves as they watched their 'boyfriends' fight.

"You both suck as boyfriends," both said quietly, knowing that despite their heightened hearing, they were far too busy to hear what they said.

At the end of the night Levy and Lucy left together, wallowing in their self pity as they headed home; unfortunately followed closely by the still arguing source of their melancholy moods. As the rest of the guild watched the newly formed 'couples' walk out of the guild, they waited quietly until Natsu and Gajeel's yelling was completely cut off by the guild doors.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE!" Cana yelled out, "I'm taking bets on which couple will come back official!"

With that, the guild erupted into shouts and cheers while everyone crowded around the alcoholic card mage to place their bets.

"I should probably feel bad for them," Gray said quietly to Erza next to him, "but they really did need this push or else we'd be waiting forever."

Erza only nodded while finishing her free strawberry cake, waving at Mira to bring another one. She didn't particularly care what happened on the mission, as long as Mira kept up her end of the bargain: all the cake she could eat for a whole year.

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><p>"This is the second time Mira's done this to me!" Lucy wailed. "Why can't she just stop interfering with my life?"<p>

Levy nodded as she clung to her friend's arm, too drained to continue ranting about the mission.

"I still don't understand what your problem is with this, Luce," Natsu muttered from behind the pair. A grunt of agreement heard from Gajeel walking next to him.

The girls stopped walking in order to turn and give the dragon slayers dark glares, making the men freeze in their tracks before backing away a few yards for their own safety. Their exceed partners ducked behind their heads for protection, prepared to fly themselves away in case either girl chose to lash out at the men. Seeing that their point was made, Levy and Lucy resumed walking through the town of Magnolia, heading in the direction of Lucy's apartment.

"I mean the last time she did this I tried to avoid him the whole day, and when I couldn't, I ended up slapping the idiot out of frustration," Lucy whined.

"What the hell's Bunny Girl going on about?" Gajeel whispered to the pink haired man next to him, thankful that they had heightened enough senses that they could talk without the girls hearing them.

"I have no idea," Natsu answered while scrunching up his face in thought. "I only know of her slapping me and Loke, and at the time she slapped Loke he was the one avoiding her. Hmmm…. GAH!"

Gajeel was surprised when Natsu suddenly yelled out and took off after Lucy.

"LUCY! Why _did_ you slap me that one time?" Natsu yelled as he caught up to the girls.

"KYAH! NATSU!" the blonde yelled out in surprise before realizing what he asked. "Ah, I don't know what you're talking about Natsu."

"You were just talking about it," Natsu deadpanned, arms crossed over his chest as he stared intently at his partner. "The only two people I know you've slapped are me and Loke, and the only one you had been avoiding was me… so why did you slap me?"

Lucy just looked around desperately for an escape before turning around and taking off towards her apartment.

"I'll see you tomorrow Levy!"

"Hey wait! Luce! Answer me," Natsu yelled after the girl before moving to chase her all the way back to her home, leaving Gajeel and Levy to watch after the couple.

"Well Shrimp, guess I'll walk ya back home then," Gajeel stated before casually throwing an arm around the shorter mage's shoulders and turning her in the direction of the girls' dorm.

Levy immediately tensed up when his arm went around her and tried to move out of his iron grip while hiding her growing blush.

"That's not necessary, Gajeel," Levy pleaded pathetically, "I can make it home just fine."

"Huh? What kind of pretend boyfriend would I be if I didn't see that ya got home safely?" Gajeel questioned the girl, trying to ignore the fact she was attempting to get away from him. When she tensed up again, though, he stopped walking and turned her to face him while keeping his arm wrapped around her. "What's up, Levy? I thought you were over your fear of me?"

Levy couldn't help but look up at the dragon slayer when she heard his sad tone; seeing his surprisingly hurt face, she let out a sigh and forced herself to relax again. That small gesture was enough to make Gajeel feel slightly better before she explained her behavior.

"It's not that, Gajeel," she began so quietly a normal human would have been hard pressed to hear her, "I just feel awkward now with all this. I like being your friend and I don't want this mission to make things weird or anything." She tried to be as vague as she could about why she didn't like this mission. She had come to terms with her feelings for Gajeel, and was perfectly content being his friend and was happy just having him a part of her life. This mission, though, was bound to make things even more confusing for her as she would get a taste of what it could be like to be his girlfriend.

With a sigh, the iron mage moved his hand up to ruffle her hair and pull her closer to him; neither noticed Lily quietly fly off toward Gajeel's home.

"I don't see why this has to make things weird," Gajeel started, "you heard Mira, we don't have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, and I ain't the type to be 'lovey-dovey' in public anyway. What we're doin' now is probably about as much as I'd do with a girl anyway. You still got a couple of days to get used to it, so if I ever do anything you don't like, just let me know. 'Kay?"

At her small nod of agreement, Gajeel slowly moved his other arm to wrap around her back, stopping when she tensed again. When she didn't fight him, and instead relaxed, he pulled the small girl into his chest and gave her a tight hug. He couldn't help but smile when she tentatively moved to wrap her arms around his waist and return the gesture. He then pressed his nose into her hair to subtly inhale her scent of ink and paper before he pulled away to grin down at the bookworm.

"See, Shrimp. That wasn't so bad now was it?" Gajeel asked, chuckling when she shyly shook her head. With that he moved to walk her back home, ruffling her hair again before draping his arm over her shoulders. Levy stopped fighting him, and instead moved closer while trying to keep her face turned down to hide her bright red blush from the still grinning man walking beside her.

She knew she was being silly, it wasn't like they hadn't hugged before, but now that Mira was actively trying to get them together, she couldn't help but be more self conscious around him. With a sigh, Levy accepted that the next week or so of her life was going to be incredibly stressful, and that all she could do was prepare herself mentally for whatever was coming her way.

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><p><strong>Alright, two chapters to give you guys an idea of where this is going... not like it isn't obvious, of course, gi hee. By the way, did you all like my little pun in there (for those that noticed)... it was completely unintentional, but worked too well for me to want to change it. Anyway, as said before, please review!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**As thanks for all the wonderful reviews I've read so far, I decided to uploaded the next chapter early! This one has a little fluff and goes into what Levy, Lucy, and Gajeel are thinking concerning the mission... Natsu's thought process will come later. There's also a little omake at the end with some Laxus x Mira in it; I wrote it when I realized I never included Jet and Droy and people would probably wonder what happened to them... so I came up with a reason for why they aren't there (*insert evil laugh here*). Hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Fairy Tail, or the characters, they all belong to Hiro Mashima. If I did own it, though, Gajeel and Levy would be together already and I'd steal Gray for myself! Hahahaha!**

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><p>Sunday came much faster than either couple expected, but before they knew it, the four mages were sitting on a train heading for Balsam. Levy had become more comfortable with Gajeel's more physical presence in her life; she knew he was right when he said it shouldn't be weird for her. She had been fine with him leaning on her many times before, and had never really been shy about physical contact with the man, even when she did realize she liked him as more than a friend. She just had to keep telling herself that it was just for the mission, that she shouldn't think of it as anything more than just friendship. So far it was working, but she was still nervous about what could happen on the mission.<p>

With a sigh the script mage glanced over at her friend in the seat across from her, quietly petting Natsu's hair as he lay in her lap fighting his motion sickness. Lucy seemed to have relaxed a bit about the mission as well, but Levy could tell she was just as nervous about what might happen. They knew the first couple of days would be the most crucial; they had to firmly establish in everyone's minds that they were dating, so that meant constantly being together and affectionate. Hopefully they'd have a chance to stop acting in the rooms, even if they did have to share a bed.

Levy peeked at the dark haired dragon slayer who had decided to use her as a pillow while napping on the ride to Balsam. She couldn't believe how easily all of this was coming to him. The past few days he had seemed completely comfortable sitting next to her in the guild, hugging her from time to time, and playing the role of her boyfriend to the fullest. It confused her, but she kept telling herself that it was just pretend. Lucy was going through the same thing, though Levy didn't think her friend had come to terms with her feelings for her partner yet, then again, that's probably what made it worse for the blonde mage. Lucy was being forced to face her emotions before she was even ready to, and Levy could understand her panic over this mission; by the end of it, the celestial spirit mage would no longer be able to deny that she had a crush on her partner.

When the train arrived at the station, Lucy helped drag the barely conscious Natsu off the train, followed closely by Levy with a still drowsy Gajeel draped over her shoulder. After getting their baggage, the group prepared to leave the station before both dragon slayers paused to sniff the air. The girls just watched the men amusedly as they obviously tried to find the scent they had picked up, reminding them very much of two dogs. As soon as they figured out where to head, Gajeel and Natsu grabbed their respective partners and dragged them in the direction of a secluded hallway near the entrance to the station.

Once they reached the hall, the girls spotted both Lily and Happy as they peeked their small bodies out from the shadows, gesturing for the group to come over.

Lily and Gajeel handled the information trade off, both having more experience with espionage between Lily's military history and Gajeel's previous mission as a double agent infiltrating Raven Tail, something that had come to light after the magic tournament. Happy decided that it would be more fun to tease his two friends, just as he had been since they had received the mission. Levy chose to focus on Lily and Gajeel's exchange instead of Happy's tongue rolling taunts.

"Here's all the information we gathered yesterday," Lily told his partner while handing him an envelope. "Erza has also listed ideal meeting times and a good location; we will have someone waiting there for a half an hour at each time should you need to deliver anything. Our hotel location is also in there, so if there is an emergency and you need back up immediately, you can send someone to get us if able to. Erza also said to remind Lucy to have Loke on standby so if things do get out of hand and no one can get away, he'll at least know to get through his gate under his own power and get back up."

Gajeel listened as he scanned through the contents of the envelope, nodding from time to time before grinning down at Panther Lily.

"Good cat," Gajeel teased, eliciting an eye roll from the black exceed, before handing the documents to Levy to look at.

The girl skimmed the papers and saw that some of the victims had been able to recall a bit more about what happened; apparently it was a good thing she had come along because they had recalled the use of rune traps in their attacks. They also mentioned more about their stay at the resort before being drained; they had felt like they were always being watched, and the resort also set up runes to 'test' couples in their devotion to one another. Levy couldn't help but be nervous about those tests, but hopefully if those runes were the same as the ones used in the attack, she could study them before hand and be better prepared to break them if they needed to.

Levy looked up from the information at a waiting Gajeel and nodded to let him know she understood before handing them over to Lucy to read over, as well.

"Looks like it's a good thing I came after all," Levy admitted quietly to her partner.

Gajeel grunted in agreement before quietly adding, "Even without the runes I'd have felt better with you here."

Levy could only hide her blush as they both descended into silence while waiting for the other pair to finish going over what Erza gave them. It was crucial they all understood the packet because they wouldn't be able to take the information with them to the resort; if they were caught with any evidence pointing to their being spies, it could lead them into a lot more trouble than they needed.

As soon as Lucy and Natsu finished reading, or Lucy finished and told Natsu she'd explain it later, the four waved goodbye to the Exceeds and made their way to the resort. Once at the hotel, the group checked in and made their way to the rooms, all four having agreed that they'd just relax on their own for the night and meet up in the morning for breakfast. Their rooms were surprisingly simple; a large king sized bed clad with sage green sheets and a fluffy, charcoal colored down comforter sat in the middle of the room, a couch and coffee table tucked away off to the side, and a door leading to a bathroom with a large shower and tub decorated with stone tiles. After ordering room service, the two mages made themselves comfortable on the bed, digging into their gourmet meal.

When they were done eating, Levy went to shower and get ready for bed, leaving Gajeel in the bedroom to search for anything suspicious. While he had been hoping to let Levy have a break from their ruse, Gajeel was reluctant to let down his guard even in the room. The entire time that they had been eating, he had felt as if they were being watched; just as the victims had reported. Luckily Levy seemed to be feeling the same thing because she didn't stop any of his actions, instead choosing to continue the role herself.

As the dragon slayer tried to inconspicuously search the room while changing into some loose black shorts for bed, he found his eyes landing on exactly what he was looking for. With the knowledge he had, the large man moved to sit on the edge of the bed, facing the bathroom as he waited for the small bluenette to finish changing. After a few minutes, the small woman appeared, looking at his serious expression quizzically.

"What's up Gajeel?" Levy asked quietly.

"Come 'ere, Shrimp," was all Gajeel said, confusing the young woman even more.

Levy slowly made her way to the iron mage and was surprised when he suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her small body down to straddle his lap. Levy immediately tensed, turned bright red, and tried to squirm out of the rather compromising position the man had forced her into; but stilled when Gajeel gently wrapped his arms around her back and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Relax, Levy," he whispered to her, his breath ghosting across her ear as he spoke, "I'm not gonna do anything."

Levy tried to tell her body to relax, but she couldn't help but feel nervous as she sat on the dragon slayer who apparently slept in only a pair of shorts. On top of her awareness of his lack of clothing, she had become even more aware of the fact that she wasn't dressed much more than the man; only donning a pair of tight, black shorts that didn't even come close to covering the top half of her thighs, and a fitted, yellow tank top. Gajeel's reassurance hadn't really helped her, either; instead it made her want to jump away from him even more. While he may have had good intentions, her mind certainly didn't, and she found herself actually wanting him to do something. All of these conflicting feelings swirled in her head, interfering with her attempts to calm down.

She was pulled out of her internal conflict, though, as her partner hugged her tighter while rubbing circles on her lower back. The gesture surprised her greatly considering who it was that was attempting to comfort her, and what was even more surprising to her, was that it was working. Levy found herself practically melting in his arms as she went limp and rested her forehead on Gajeel's shoulder, unable to hold back the hum of contentment when she felt all her stress wash away from her body.

"Better, Shorty?" Gajeel asked, chuckling when the only response he received was another soft hum of happiness from the girl in his arms. "Don't go falling to sleep on me just yet."

Levy turned her head to peer drowsily at the large man from the corner of her eyes. Feeling too tired to question him; she opted for raising a blue eyebrow to tell him to elaborate.

"Behind me, in the corner by the ceiling," was all Gajeel said; prompting her to turn her face up in the direction he indicated. Her eyes went wide as she saw what he found; surveillance lacrima no bigger than her fist was tucked in the corner. As soon as she found it, Gajeel moved his face next to hers again to whisper quietly in her ear. "Sitting like this, with our size differences; whoever's watching will have no idea what we're doing. As far as they can tell, we're…"

Levy looked at Gajeel when he trailed off, figuring out what he meant without him needing to say what the position they were in could imply to the person watching. Levy just nodded in understanding and moved her arms to wrap around the man's neck. She was going to place her head back on his shoulder, but was stopped when he leaned his forehead against her own, grinning down at her with a teasing look in his eye.

"At least I found a full proof way to calm you down," Gajeel teased, "I'll have to keep that in mind the next time you try to hit me in the face with your satchel."

Levy just puffed her cheeks at her partner, much to his amusement, and tried to glare at him. The light blush staining her cheeks, though, made the glare more so cute than threatening to the large man.

"You were annoying me, Gajeel," Levy huffed out, "I'm sorry I hit you, though, even though you were being a baka."

"Whatever, didn't hurt too bad," Gajeel answered before lightly pushing his forehead against her own, smiling even wider than before, "Just don't go doin' that again."

Levy giggled at Gajeel's sudden playfulness and moved to give him a tight hug, happy when his arms tightened around her small waist once more. She sighed when he returned to rubbing small, soothing circles on her back; and she moved to once again rest her head in the crook of his neck, hiding her face from the lacrima behind his long curtain of dark hair. The iron dragon smiled as the girl immediately went limp again from his simple action, and buried his nose in her neck to take in her light scent. He moved his unoccupied hand up to her hair and began lightly combing through the still slightly damp locks.

As the young woman's breathing began to even out, Gajeel gently moved them so he could lay back in bed with Levy draped over him. He pulled away enough to reach out and turn off the light, drawing a disgruntled moan from the girl as she snuggled closer to him in her sleep, stopping only when he returned his arm around her waist and held her tight once again. The whole situation seemed surreal to him, as he looked down at his peaceful partner. While he kept up an air of confidence while acting as Levy's boyfriend for the mission, he was feeling anything but that on the inside. The behavior came naturally to him with her, but even so he couldn't quite believe that after everything he had put her through when he was with Phantom Lord, she'd become so comfortable with him that she could fall asleep in his arms. He could break her, and she knew that more than anyone, with the exception of Lucy, and yet she had come to trust him with her life. He certainly didn't mind, and secretly was jumping for joy on the inside, seeing as over the months (or years considering their frozen state on Tenrou Island) that he had come to know her, he'd developed an incredibly large soft spot for the script mage.

It had started out simple enough, he felt guilt over what he had done to her and her teammates, and didn't fight back when they attacked him seeking revenge. Levy, though terrified of him at the time, had tried to stop the attack, but he knew it had to be done if they were going to ever trust him. He wasn't prepared for Laxus, though, and despite his injuries, he moved on instinct to protect the small girl from her older guild mate's enraged strike. That one moment changed her entire opinion of him, and he was glad when she stopped hiding away from him and even spoke to him without any fear. Only a few days later he found his own opinion of her changing as he watched her determinedly work to decode Freed's runes and release the two dragon slayers to hunt down the out of control Laxus. He had thought her as a weak mage before, and while she certainly wasn't a physical mage like so many of the others in their guild, she was intelligent and strong in heart and mind. He was awed by her, even though all she was doing was reading through books and talking to herself, he couldn't help but admire her ability to understand such complicated magic. From then on, he saw why she was so loved by her friends, she was brave and strong in her own way, and he vowed to protect her when her idiot teammates couldn't.

Despite his determination to keep her safe, he still kept his distance most of the time. He was still getting used to the party like atmosphere of Fairy Tail, and sometimes preferred watching everyone from the shadows. He mostly watched her, at first he didn't quite understand why he watched her when there was absolutely no danger, but he eventually realized it was because she was important to him. During the S-Class exam, he realized how important she was. When she had run off upset, he was pissed; not because she had yelled at him, but because she could be in danger considering all the strange monsters he had already had to protect her from. Then he heard her scream, he ran as fast as he could and managed to get to her before that Grimoire wizard's sword could come down on her. At the time, he was too focused on destroying the newest threat to think about all the emotions and thoughts that had sped through his mind that day.

The entire fight he couldn't stop worrying about the girl, and got seriously injured because of it, especially since he held back so she didn't accidentally get caught in his attacks*. When he sent her away, part of it was to let the others know, but he mostly just wanted to get her away from the danger so he could fight without distraction. Luckily, despite all the worry and stress, or maybe because of it, she had thought to leave him with a gift of iron to give him a boost. Even better was the fact that she clearly told him not to die, he hadn't planned on it, but he was glad to hear that she wanted him alive. When Levy had come back after his fight, Erza and Juvia in tow, he felt immense relief at seeing that she was still safe, and still in good enough shape to carry his heavily injured and eventually unconscious body back to camp.

Then when they all thought they could breathe easily and recover from their wounds, Acnologia attacked. That dragon was nothing like Metallicana; he wasn't as naïve as Natsu was, he knew that dragon was only interested in crushing them like the insects it thought they were. It was pointless trying to get answers from it. When they had all turned back around to help Makarov fight it, just like the idiots they are, he made sure to stay close to Levy, protecting her until the very end. When the dragon moved to use a breath attack, he held onto Levy's hand as tight as he could without crushing it; the small woman squeezing back just as hard. When the attack hit and the barrier went up, that was the first time he found the woman held tight in his arms*. Everything had happened fast, but he clearly remembered that as the ground gave way, he pulled the girl into his chest, holding her tight while the world went black. When they awoke 7 years later, she was still there in his arms, along with Lily who had somehow flown in between them during the attack. Unfortunately he didn't have time to enjoy the position because her idiot teammates were crying in joy at the sight of them, forcing them to break apart to stare at them in confusion, considering the fact that Jet looked older and Droy was fat.

As Gajeel felt sleep begin to claim him, he moved to press his face into Levy's hair; allowing himself a moment to be selfish and pretend that she really was his. He knew he didn't deserve her as anything more than a friend, and probably even that was stretching it, but he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if he really could have her. For now, though, he would be content playing this role, thinking he had to have done something right to at least get this much. For now he'd be thankful that Mira had volunteered them for this assignment; and later he'd bolt her to a wall as punishment for dangling something so sweet in front of him when he didn't stand a chance to claim it.

With his decision made, the fierce iron dragon slayer soundly fell asleep, dreaming of a world where this role playing could be real.

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><p>When Lucy came out of the bathroom after changing their first night at the resort, she hadn't expected Natsu to suddenly tackle her and throw her on the bed; but unfortunately for her, that's exactly what happened.<p>

"LUCE!" Natsu yelled like an excited kid who just found his favorite toy after losing it.

Lucy screamed in response as her body was suddenly being flown across the room and onto the bed. Her surprised shout was abruptly caught off when she landed, crushed by the heavy pink haired dragon slayer that fell on top of her.

"What the hell are you doing, Natsu?" She hissed out once she regained her breath.

Natsu didn't respond immediately, instead he surprised his partner further by burying his face in her neck and tangling his legs with her own.

"Naaatsuuu!" Lucy whined pathetically beneath him, jumping when one of his hands snuck to her waist and pinched her.

"Look up at the ceiling and see if you notice anything, Luce," the fire mage finally whispered to her before going back to nuzzling her neck.

The spirit mage tried to focus on searching for whatever her partner noticed, but found it rather hard to pay attention to anything other than her best friend breathing gently across her neck. When she finally spotted the lacrima in the corner, her eyes widened in shock and she pulled Natsu's face away from her so she could look at him.

"Lacrima?" the girl whimpered, pouting when her friend merely nodded before propping himself up so he wasn't completely crushing her smaller frame.

Natsu moved his torso slightly to the side, but kept his arms around her and their legs tangled. He gave her a rare sympathetic look while brushing a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear.

"Sorry Luce, looks like we can't let up for even a second," Natsu said before grinning in confidence as he continued. "But, don't worry; there are ways to fool the camera so I'm sure no one will suspect us."

Lucy sighed but nodded in agreement, it would be hard but they could make Natsu's already playful attitude come across as something more intimate, just as they were now. She couldn't help but think of the other couple one room over, and wonder how Levy was doing with all this. She'd have to find time for just the two of them to get away from the boys and talk about how this mission was going for them. As she was thinking about her friend, Natsu watched her for a moment before leaning his face back against her neck, startling her from her thoughts.

"Natsu?" Lucy quietly asked her friend while peering at him from the corner of her eyes. The salamander just ignored her questioning tone, instead breathing in her sweet scent, closing his eyes as he relaxed against his best friend. He heard Lucy sigh again before he felt her hand come up and run through his soft pink hair, making the mage smile against the woman's neck and nuzzle against her some more.

Lucy couldn't help but giggle at her friend's antics; he had always been a cuddling type when he snuck into her bed, despite her numerous protests and warnings. She had given up long ago trying to get the man to stop inviting himself to her bed, but she still kept up a show of resistance. With a yawn, Lucy reached for the light, shutting it off to get some well deserved rest; Natsu getting the picture reached for the blankets and covered the two of them up. As Lucy settled back down, though, she was surprised when a weight settled on her chest, and pink hair tickled the exposed skin around her collar bone.

"Natsu, I'm not a pillow," Lucy deadpanned.

Natsu just grinned and nuzzled himself into her breasts, receiving a squeak and smack to the head.

"But you're so soft, Luce," Natsu whined, holding himself tightly to her so she couldn't push him off.

"I don't care, you're not sleeping like that, it's embarrassing," Lucy hissed, trying to shove the dragon slayer's head off of her.

"Come on, Luce, you let Happy rest there all the time," Natsu pled with his friend.

"He's a cat, not a teenage boy." Lucy reminded him.

"Awww, please, I've practically been suffocated by these enough times that I think I deserve this," he pouted back, making a show of shoving his face in between the mounds where he had more experience being than Lucy cared to admit.

With a groan the spirit mage gave in, but tugged his hair up so he could look at her face while she gave him a warning.

"I'll allow it just this once, but if you try anything, I'll sic Erza on you. Got it?"

"AYE!" Natsu squeaked, truly terrified of what Erza would do if she found out he took any liberties with her friend.

Lucy smiled sweetly and patted him on the head before lying back to rest. Natsu once again made himself comfortable on her chest with a soft good night, passing out almost immediately as she went back to running her fingers through his hair.

Peeking down at her sleeping teammate, Lucy couldn't believe she was in this position with the man she essentially owed her life to. He had brought her into Fairy Tail, gave her a new family that loved her more than she could ever imagine, saved her life countless times, and stood by her side through the good times and the bad. He meant more to her than anyone and she wouldn't trade her life with him for the world. She couldn't help but be afraid of what could happen on this mission, she knew that Mirajane was trying to set them up, but that would mean crossing a line she didn't think she could.

At least with Levy and Gajeel, it was obvious they had feelings for each other; at least obvious to everyone else. She knew about Levy's crush on the iron dragon slayer because the girl had confided in her about it. As for the rather gruff man, she could tell with how he acted around the small mage that he was head over heels for the girl; whether he knew it or not was another story. For Lucy though, she knew she loved the idiot lying on top of her, but she didn't know what type of love it was. He was her best friend, her teammate; sure he was attractive, and his loyalty was certainly something to be desired by any woman, but she just didn't think it could be possible for them to have anything more. She didn't know if she even wanted anything more.

Things were bound to become weird between them, Lucy knew, but she hoped that Natsu would continue being his dense, idiotic self, because then it might make it easier for her to stay in denial. With that last thought, Lucy felt herself drifting to sleep, the warmth coming from the fire mage's body lulling her into a comfortable sleep. She'd deal with the consequences of Mira's scheming when they happen, for the moment, though, she'd just have fun with her best friend like she always did.

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><p><em>Omake<em>

_As the four mages began to board the train, Lucy and Levy leading the way, the blonde wizard became curious about something._

"_Hey Levy, I'm surprised Jet and Droy didn't try to stop you from going on this mission, or try to come with. So what did they say when you told them?" Lucy asked, coming to a halt when the bluenette next to her suddenly stopped dead in her tracks in the hall of the train car, causing the two dragon slayers behind them to run into their backs. "Levy?"_

_Gajeel leaned over his partner's shoulder to catch a glimpse of her shocked face, eyes wide and mouth completely ajar._

"_I… I…" Levy stuttered, turning a fearful look up at the dragon slayer looking at her with a studded eyebrow raised in curiosity._

"_Oi, Shrimp, don't tell me you didn't tell those idiots about this?" Gajeel guessed at what could have caused her reaction at such a simple question._

"_I didn't, I mean I was going to, but then every time I tried to find them they weren't there. Then someone would distract me and I'd forget that I was looking for them," Levy explained. "Oh my god, I'm such a horrible teammate, they're probably so mad at me right now!"_

"_I'm sure they'll get over it, Shorty." Gajeel tried to reassure the girl._

"_Yeah, and it's weird that you couldn't find them. Even before Tenrou Island they rarely ever left your side at the guild, and after those 7 years, they're practically glued to you whenever they have the chance." Lucy mused, feeling somewhat worried for the other two Shadow Gear members._

"_I thought I smelled them at the guild, though, plenty of times this weekend," Natsu interjected, "but now that I think of it, I never actually saw them. And Droy's pretty hard to miss with all that fat!"_

_The iron mage snorted in agreement, but he also found it very suspicious that the two would avoid their favorite person in Fairy Tail._

"_Well, it's too late, now. I'm sure Mira will explain it all to them, anyway," Gajeel reasoned before pushing Levy forward to get to their seats. "For now let's just focus on the mission, Shrimp."_

_Meanwhile, back at the guild:_

_A beautiful woman with white hair made her way down into the basement of the building, heading towards a rarely used and hardly known storage room with a tray of food in hand. When she reached the door she lightly knocked seven times and waited until the door was opened. As soon as she was let in, she quickly closed the door behind her and moved towards two huddled, slightly charred, and truly terrified mages sitting chained to the back wall._

"_Here are your meals, boys," Mirajane said sweetly as she set the tray down and stepped back to let the two men dig into the food greedily. "By the way, Levy left on her mission today, so maybe we'll see about letting you two out of this room if you're good."_

_Jet and Droy looked up at the demon take over mage with hope shining in their eyes as they watched the woman turn to the other occupant of the room._

"_Laxus, you don't mind hanging around the guild for the week to help me keep an eye on these two some more, right?" Mira asked the tall blonde leaning against the door._

"_Nope, got nothing better to do; and I gotta say it's a lot of fun frying these two every time they try to go after Levy." Laxus chuckled at the woman. "I'll make sure they think twice about interfering with your plan."_

_Mirajane smiled brightly at her fellow S-class mage before feeling the urge to ask him about his willingness to help._

"_Why are you helping me without expecting anything in return, if you don't mind my asking?"_

"_Told ya, got nothing better to do. Anyway, I guess I kinda owe Gajeel one for all that shit that went down with my Pops at the tournament, so as far as I'm concerned, if this works, he and I are even." The blonde man admitted, while silently adding in his head, 'and who says I'm not expecting anything in return from you, Mira.'_

"_Well, that makes sense then. Come on upstairs and I'll treat you for all your hard work." She offered as she made her way back to the door._

"_Heeeh, alright!" Laxus grinned at the woman as he moved to open the door for her, following her out into the hall. Before they left though, Mira turned back to the occupants in the room._

"_I trust you two will be alright without Laxus here, hmmmm?" She asked, sounding deceptively sweet and innocent while her eyes sent shivers down the spines of all three men there. Jet and Droy nodded enthusiastically at her, breathing in sighs of relief as they watched their two tormenters disappear._

_The two Shadow Gear members turned to one another once the door was shut and burst into tears together._

"_LEVY!"_

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><p><strong>AN: I just wanted to clarify on my story regarding Gajeel's thoughts that I asterisked earlier. The first one is my opinion of why he had such a hard time against those Grimoire scouts; we saw that he only used close range attacks and defense while Levy was there, but as soon as she left he used his breath attack on them. Basically, to me he was fighting differently with her around, and that's why he got hurt so badly. If only we really knew what he was thinking then *sigh*.**

**My second asterisk has to do with my personal imagination of what happened when Acnologia attacked based on the panel showing Levy and Gajeel sitting next to each other, with Lily in her lap, while Jet and Droy were crying over her being alive. I can't help but think that Gajeel would instinctively protect her (and Lily) like that in that kind of a situation, no matter how hopeless it may be.**

**On another note, with the omake, Laxus' comment concerning owing Gajeel after the tournament; I put that there with the assumption that something might come to light with Raven Tail and Gajeel's spy job. *shrugs* Can't really think of why else he'd help Gajeel other than hoping to get something from Mira.  
><strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everyone! Another early release, just cuz I can! As I said, I already have 11 chapters written out for this story, I'm hoping that forcing myself to edit and update these finished chapters will get my juices flowing for the last however many chapters I still need before it's finished. Anyway, some more fluff between Levy and Gajeel in this one, plus I started mounting some sexual tension between them... I couldn't help it, I blame Mashima for taking so long putting in a GaLe moment into the manga, it made me a little desperate during the time that I had been writing this.**

**BTW, NaLu fans wondering where their moments are, don't worry, the chapter after this one I'll be focusing on them a lot more (I'm sure you're going to like it), but overall this is a GaLe story, so I'm sorry if I suddenly neglect the other two.**

**Anyway, as always, read and review!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Fairy Tail or the characters, nor do I even dream of owning it because Mashima's doing such a wonderful job at it, despite the occasional troll (*cough* GrayLu fantasy *cough*).**

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><p>Levy awoke the following morning feeling warm and safe, prompting the young woman to burrow further into the covers and attempt to go back to sleep. As she moved to get more comfortable, though, she realized that there was a pressure on her waist and stomach. Confused, the girl lifted the covers enough to spy a metal studded arm securely locked in place around her midsection. Her face immediately went red as she remembered how she fell asleep the night before on the iron dragon slayer's lap, and now she was sleeping in his tight embrace.<p>

At some point her movement had awoken her partner, who tried not to laugh when he saw her face turn as red as Erza's hair when she noticed their sleeping arrangement. Gajeel decided that he would amuse himself by indulging in a bit of selfish desire, and lightly moved his fingers over the small woman's stomach and rib cage, tickling her enough to get her attention. He couldn't contain his devilish grin when Levy shyly turned her head to peek at him; squeaking when she saw that he was awake and obviously teasing her.

When Levy tried to turn away and hide from the large man, she found herself instead being turned to face the dark haired mage who chuckled at her shocked expression.

"Mornin' shrimp," Gajeel grunted to the girl before pulling her into his chest and resting his head atop hers.

"Morning," Levy shyly responded, somewhat glad that her face was pushed against his bare chest so he couldn't see her blush, then again her face being against his chest was the primary reason for her blush.

"Should prolly get up," Gajeel mumbled as he buried his face into her blue locks, contradicting his suggestion by making himself more comfortable in the bed.

"Uh-huh," she agreed, unable to trust her voice not to give away her nervousness. After taking a moment to calm herself, though, she managed to speak to the man. "You'll have to let me go, though."

Gajeel grunted before squeezing her tighter, followed by light snoring that had Levy rolling her eyes at the man. She was starting to understand what it felt like to be Lily; she had been amazed to wake up after Lisanna's welcome home party to see the fierce dragon slayer cuddling his miniaturized Exceed on one of the guild tables. Levy had never imagined that the typically cold man would like to cuddle; then again, he was always full of surprises for her.

As much as Levy wanted to bask in the attention he was giving her, she knew that they needed to get up, and if he didn't let her go soon, she may never want to leave the room. Peeking up at Gajeel, she was surprised by how close his face was to her own, forcing her to fight down yet another blush. Ignoring her urge to do something she would more than likely regret, like kiss the man, she instead freed a hand to poke him in the forehead, hard.

She couldn't help but giggle as Gajeel scrunched his face in annoyance and swatted her hand away. Unfortunately, that was the only reaction she got other than him cuddling against her even more, which seemed almost impossible to her at that point, and continuing to snore. Frowning, Levy repeated her attempts to rouse the sleeping dragon with two more hard pokes to the forehead. This time she managed to get an annoyed growl from the man before he grabbed her hand and held it hostage between their bodies. Levy, despite the intimate position she was in with her crush, continued to giggle until Gajeel peeked open one red eye to glare at the woman trying to wake him. She was, of course, immune to his glare, especially considering it never had the dark intent that it normally had, therefore she burst into peels of laughter that turned his half hearted glare into a scowl.

"Come on, Gajeel," Levy started between laughs, "we gotta get up sometime, unless you want Natsu to break down the door and drag us out."

Gajeel continued to scowl at the girl before getting an idea that quickly changed his expression to one of pure mischief. Levy gulped when she saw his patented evil grin spread across his roguishly handsome face and tried to pull away from the man. Before Levy knew it, though, she was pinned under the dragon slayer, who tightly held both her hands above her head with one hand, while tickling her stomach mercilessly with the other. The young woman couldn't stop laughing as she tried to kick the heavy man off of her; something she knew was pointless considering his overwhelming strength. Luckily, he only tortured her for a minute, stopping as her laughs turned into desperate attempts to catch her breath.

"Gi Hee," Gajeel laughed his signature laugh, "That's what you get for messing with a sleeping dragon, Shrimp."

Levy just pouted at him until he ruffled her hair and moved to get off the girl, finally freeing her from her comfortable prison. She wasted no time jumping from the bed and moving to the bathroom, grabbing some clothes on the way. As soon as Gajeel had picked himself up from his position atop her, she came to realize exactly the position they had been in and yet another blush erupted on her face, forcing her to get away from the man as fast as possible. By the end of the mission she was sure she'd end up having a nosebleed from all the blood rushing to her head, and dying of blood loss.

Gajeel, too, had realized what had happened, and immediately began busying himself with getting clothes while the script mage made her hasty exit. It was bad enough for his self control waking up to little Levy's body squirming against his own, her rather impressive backside pressing against his groin. Luckily she hadn't seemed to notice his body's instantaneous reaction to her movements, if she had, he'd be in hell for the rest of the mission, that is if she even stayed to complete it. Of course he had to slip up, though, and pin her to the bed. Sure it was all in innocent fun, but the position and the fact he could see her small breasts at full attention through her tight tank top, quickly had his self control pushed to its limits.

He needed a cold shower, badly. Unfortunately his partner beat him to the bathroom; forcing him to use images of Master Makarov swimming naked in the pool. As much as the sight had scarred him at the time, the imagery had come in handy many times before when it came to the blue haired woman hiding from him. He knew at the end of the week, he may end up killing Natsu as a result of all his pent up sexual frustration, either that or being chained to a wall was going to be the least of Mira's worries when they got back to the guild.

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><p>Gajeel and Levy made their way to the dining room in awkward silence, neither willing to look at the other until they were seated at a table with Natsu and Lucy.<p>

"So, how'd you two sleep," Lucy casually asked the girl sitting next to her.

"F- Fine," Levy stuttered, much to Lucy's surprise. When the blonde mage saw her friend fighting to keep her blush at just a light pink, she couldn't help but smile in amusement. How she wanted to tease her friend, but she figured it was best saved for later when she got more details from the smaller woman, especially since she noticed Gajeel's oddly shy behavior.

"I slept great!" Natsu exclaimed excitedly, successfully distracting the other couple from their thoughts of earlier, before quietly whispering to Gajeel, "Lucy let me sleep on her boobs!"

The iron dragon immediately spit out the water he had just happened to be drinking, successfully drenching the blonde mage in question. Lucy just glared at Natsu, not having heard what he just boasted about but having an idea of what could garner such an over the top reaction from his fellow dragon slayer.

"Natsuuu," Lucy warned darkly, "don't make me get Erza here."

The fire mage immediately straightened up and gave Lucy a pleading, innocent look.

"Please don't hurt me! I'm sorry, Luce!" Natsu begged his partner.

"What did he say, Gajeel?" Levy quietly asked, no longer feeling the awkwardness thanks to their friends' antics.

"I really don't think I should say, Shrimp," Gajeel admitted to the girl, glancing at the annoyed glare on the celestial mage's face as she had overheard her friend's question.

Levy just looked between Natsu and Lucy, clearly confused but guessed that she wasn't the only one to have an interesting night and morning. With a shrug, she decided she'd pry it out of Gajeel later, or if she got some alone time with Lucy she'd get the full details from her. The group then moved on to their plans for the day while finishing their breakfast. The couples came to the decision to split up for the day and meet again at dinner that night. Levy wanted to read up on various rune patterns to better prepare herself for any traps to come, while Gajeel was content hanging around her as she studied, and Lucy and Natsu wanted to explore the grounds a little. With their day planned, the two pairs separated after finishing their meals, unaware that their stay at the resort was going to get quite interesting.

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><p>Levy and Gajeel made their way back to the room after breakfast so Levy could gather her books and study materials.<p>

"So, where do you wanna study at, Shrimp?" The iron dragon asked the smaller mage as she fastened her bag shut.

"Hmmmm," Levy thought, finger placed on her chin in contemplation, "how about the gardens?"

"Whatever," Gajeel shrugged in indifference before casually draping an arm around the young woman and pulling her out of the room.

As the couple made their way out to the resort's extensive grounds, they found themselves walking through something resembling a small forest of cherry blossoms rather than a garden. Deeper into the sea of pink and white flowers, Levy suddenly pulled away from Gajeel, but grabbed his hand to pull him after her as she made her way to a rather large tree tucked away in a small clearing of sorts. The magnificent cherry blossom had its branches bending low, partially hiding away any couple who found recluse at its base.

The dark haired mage couldn't help but chuckle at his partner's obvious excitement over the perfect study spot before plopping himself down against the trunk, and pulling the enthusiastic girl into his lap. For once, instead of blushing, Levy just smiled up at Gajeel before digging into her books and getting to work, far too intent on studying rune languages and patterns to remember her normal embarrassment.

Gajeel rested his head on the bluenette's shoulder, peering at the book he could never dream of understanding, while wrapping his strong arms around the girl's waist. Levy, for her part, only took advantage of the position and partially leaned back against his chest, drawing her knees up to rest her book on. Her behavior had her partner smiling slightly in contentment as he pulled his own legs up to lock the girl in further, effectively shielding her away from the world.

As he watched her study, Gajeel once again indulged in taking in Levy's light scent of ink and paper, and he couldn't help but feel excited, pressing his nose against her neck, as he realized that her scent was completely soaked with his own. Ink and iron, it was a combination he could most certainly get used to. As he lost himself to his instinctual nuzzling of her neck, he vaguely heard the girl's light giggling as his breath tickled her, causing him to grin and squeeze her tighter.

"Stop Gajeel, that tickles," Levy laughed at him while trying to duck away from the man.

"Hmmm, don't think I will, Shrimp," Gajeel hummed quietly, not caring that she may question his sudden affection, particularly considering the fact that they were definitely alone. Luckily for him, she didn't seem to notice or mind that he was being far more affectionate than he needed to be, she only cared about him interrupting her work.

"Gajeel, I'm trying to study," Levy pled with her partner, squeaking when the only response she got was a light pinch at her hip and more nuzzling from the suddenly possessive man wrapping himself around her more. Her small frame, though, put her at risk of being crushed if her enthusiastic partner wasn't careful.

"GAJEEEEELLL!" Levy pled again, whining his name as loudly as she dared. This time she succeeded in getting his attention, making her gasp as he looked at her with slightly dazed and drowsy eyes. With sudden realization that something was wrong with the dragon slayer, Levy quickly pried herself free long enough to fish through her bag for the resort pamphlet. Turning to the pages specifically on the gardens, she read through it to confirm what she thought.

'_Tour through our beautiful, enchanted cherry blossom gardens! Spend a day with the one you love in a tranquil atmosphere that is sure to spark untold romance between you and your partner. The scent of the flowers that bloom year round will have you feeling light and carefree; opening your awareness to the person you are with more completely than ever before. Warning: for those with heightened senses, risk of intoxication is very high!'_

"Oh no, oh no, oh no! Eeek!" Levy muttered to herself before suddenly being pulled back in by a very loving dragon, this time turned so she once again found herself straddling her partner's lap. She knew she was feeling the enchantment's effects, too, considering under normal circumstances she'd be blushing and trying to pull away. Ever since they entered the gardens, though, she had felt completely receptive to the dragon's advances. While she knew if this were any other time; and they weren't on a mission requiring them to pretend to be lovers, and they weren't both under the influence of a powerful scent based spell, she'd probably wholeheartedly welcome Gajeel's now wandering hands. But since this was supposed to be a ruse, and they weren't supposed to go this far, she knew she had to figure out a way to break the spell. The iron dragon was too far gone to be of any help, and she'd be lucky if she could hold back long enough to come up with some solution. Her mind went blank, though, as she felt Gajeel's sharp canines lightly graze her neck, coaxing a quiet moan from the girl.

Gajeel honestly thought he was in heaven or dreaming at that point, because there was no way in hell he'd be in this position if he weren't. The most important woman in his life was letting him touch her far more than she ever had before, and moaning as he nibbled on her ear. His hands were at that point full of the backside that had given him such a wonderful and yet frustrating wake up call that morning, and he had no intention of letting go. As he began to feel bolder, he began placing open mouth kisses all along her neck and jaw, denying himself the pleasure of taking her lips for the time being. He growled in pleasure and ground her against him when he felt her small hands dig roughly into his scalp; oh how he wanted her.

The growl and hard pressure on the woman's core, though, snapped Levy back out of her trance enough to once again try and free herself from the man's strong grip. Panting, the girl tried to talk Gajeel into regaining some control of himself, hoping that his desire to not do anything to harm her would be enough to draw him out of it.

"Gajeel," she quietly whispered, cursing at herself as it sounded like she was pleading for something she wasn't, "You have to snap out of it, we've been drugged. Please, Gajeel, just give me a minute to think before you do something I know you'll regret."

When her plea fell on deaf ears, Levy couldn't hold back a sob as she realized if she didn't fix this then they could end up destroying their friendship. No matter how much she may want to be with him, she didn't want it to happen like this, she didn't want him forced into it because of a spell.

That sob, though, was enough to get Gajeel's attention once again as he snapped his eyes back to the girl's face, fighting the urges he felt inside to kiss her senseless, he forced himself to listen to her.

"Please, Gajeel… it's a spell… please stop…" Levy whispered over and over, not realizing that the iron dragon had stopped.

Taking a deep breath, Gajeel closed his eyes and forced his body to push Levy away enough that she could get free. He didn't trust himself to do anything more, even if he wanted to console her and apologize at that point, he knew it'd just draw him back in. As soon as the woman was at arm's reach, she didn't waste any time scrambling back from his lap and putting more distance between the two.

"Hurry up, Levy," Gajeel growled out, he would try to calm his body down again while he waited for her to break the spell.

Levy just looked at the man for a moment, his jaw was clenched, eyes shut tight, and hands fisting as he fought to hold himself back. Realizing exactly how hard it was for him, Levy quickly set to work thinking up a way to either completely break the spell, or block the effects of the tree's scent. She wished she had a book on this type of enchantment, but the only texts she had brought to the garden were on runes. Seeing that she wouldn't know how to break the spell, she knew she had to settle for blocking it by somehow neutralizing the scent.

"Levy," Gajeel growled out in warning after a few minutes of silence from the woman, his control slipping fast.

The girl squeaked in surprise, pulling away a few more inches in hopes that it would help him some, before going back to racking her brain for a solution.

'_Neutralize, neutralize… What can I use to neutralize an odor… think Levy!" _she thought to herself. _'Ah-ha! I know!"_

As soon as Levy realized what she needed, she began to hear more growling coming from the man a few feet away from her. Seeing she had no time left to spare she quickly wrote out the word 'coffee,' crushing it into a fine powder with a book. She took off the bandana she had worn that day and tore it in two, dividing the powder into each to make makeshift pouches, shoving one right against Gajeel's nose the second he lost control and tackled her to the ground. She held her own to her nose as she watched the large man on top of her breath in the scent of the neutralizing coffee grounds, and prayed her idea worked.

Gajeel closed his eyes as all the other scents around him were effectively washed from his nose, replaced by the strong coffee odor. He felt his senses returning to him, and opened his eyes again as he moved to take the pouch from Levy. Slowly picking himself up, he sat back against the tree and focused all of his senses on breathing deeply through his blocked nose. When he felt completely clearheaded again he looked at the blue haired mage still sitting a few feet from him, her rather rumpled appearance had him biting his cheek to keep himself from going back to what had made her look that way.

"Sorry," he grunted quietly, turning his face back to the ground so he wouldn't see her hurt and angry expression.

"Its okay, Gajeel," Levy responded just as quietly, much to his surprise, "I was under the spell's influence, too. It was just harder for you because of your heightened senses."

Levy then handed him the pamphlet, turned to the page on the gardens, so he could see the warning in the description. Gajeel's eyes went wide when he read the passage before sighing and leaning his head back against the tree. He knew what had been happening was too good to be true. Now Mira was definitely in for it when he got back from this mission.

"It was your scent," he admitted softly to her, "I like your scent, and I realized it was mixed with mine. I couldn't stop myself after that."

Levy felt herself blushing at his confession, a sure sign that the coffee was working since she was once again being her shy self around her crush. She just nodded, unsure what exactly she could say to that. She didn't want to tell him that the reason she didn't fight back at first was because it was him, plan and simple.

"Can you make more of this stuff?" Gajeel asked, not wanting to spend the rest of their time in the gardens with a bag of coffee grounds held against his nose.

Once again nodding in understanding, Levy quickly set to work creating an area overwhelmed with the scent of coffee, effectively blocking out the cherry blossom's odor. After a few minutes work, Levy breathed in deeply and nodded to Gajeel to give it a try. When the iron dragon slayer tentatively moved the cloth away, he breathed in the air around them and waited. After a minute of not feeling the same effects he had earlier, he sighed in relief.

"I think we should be safe, Short-stuff," he told his partner, who then collapsed to the ground in relief that she managed to figure it out. "Told you I'd feel better if you were here, I don't think anyone else would have been able to hold back long enough to solve this thing."

"Thanks," Levy said quietly before she suddenly found herself wrapped up in Gajeel's arms again. "Uhhhh… Gajeel."

"Its okay, Levy," Gajeel mumbled against her hair, "just wanted to apologize again for scaring you like that."

"I was just afraid that you'd end up doing something you'd regret," Levy admitted softly as she relaxed into his embrace.

"So, we're cool?" Gajeel asked, not wanting to remark on the fact that he probably wouldn't have regretted it unless she did.

"Yeah, we're cool."

"Then get back to work, Shrimp, looks like we'll be needing you in top shape for the mission," Gajeel chided the girl, smiling when he received a small laugh from her as she pulled away again. He was surprised when she only reached for her book before settling herself back between his legs, once again using his chest for support. He didn't argue it, though, instead just wrapped his arms around her again before leaning his head back against the tree to try and relax.

"Hey, Shrimp?" he started after a few minutes of silence, continuing only when she glanced at him briefly to show him he had her attention. "How'd you think of the coffee?"

"Hmmm, well coffee's known to be effective in washing out other odors, completely clearing the scent palate. I figured since I didn't know how to completely break the spell placed on the trees, I'd have to figure out a way to neutralize it; so coffee was the first thing I thought of. I probably could have used the word 'neutralize' but that can be pretty vague, so using a word to create an actual substance to neutralize was the better option." Levy answered, not looking up from her book as she explained her strategy. "And you probably wouldn't have wanted me to use vinegar."

"You really are amazing, ya know that?" Gajeel praised her, just as he had the first time he saw her solve a complicated spell. This time she was actually aware of his compliment enough to let her cheeks pink in embarrassment before turning her focus back to the book again. With that, the two once again let silence over take them, just enjoying the peace after such an eventful half an hour in the gardens.

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><p><strong>AN: Since I figured some of you might be confused with Levy's tactics; it was a very random thing I came up with while writing this chapter. When I was in college, during one of my chem labs we were studying odors or various chemicals. When we went to scent a chemical, we were told to smell a bag of coffee grounds to remove the scent of the previous compound we had smelled before so that we can get a better idea of the scent category. You can also look up online and see tons of pages about using coffee around the house to help neutralize odors. Hope that helped anyone who might have been curious about that.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews, I'm glad you all are enjoying this story. So this chapter primarily gets things initiated for NaLu, but still has plenty of GaLe fluffiness, heehee (especially since it's so fun to tease Gajeel). Anyway, everyone's favorite plot tool, RUNES, are coming into play here! So from here on out romance really is focused on, then I'll get to the action with the actual mission, but for now it's just so much fun getting these couples together.**

**So, please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Do I own Fairy Tail? No... Who does? Hiro Mashima... Is he a fanservice troll? Yes, I do believe he is, lol. (I still can't get the GrayLu out of my head!).**

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><p>"Okay, Luce," Natsu began, facing his best friend with his arms crossed and a confused look on his face, "Why do you want to go spy on Levy and Gajeel again?"<p>

"Ugh, Natsu, I've explained this enough; they were acting weird at breakfast, I want to see if something's going on between them." Lucy explained for what felt like the hundredth time that morning.

They were currently wandering the halls of the resort, taking in the layout and checking for anything suspicious. The more they walked the grounds, the more Lucy became curious about her friend's situation and so she proposed to Natsu that they go check on the other two mages.

"They seemed fine to me, I'm sure it was just weird for them to have to sleep in the same bed," the pink haired man tried to reason, "They're not like us and used to being so close all the time."

"That's not it you idiot, and no one is like us; _we_ shouldn't be like us," Lucy sighed in annoyance.

"Then what is it? If you're worried about Gajeel hurting her then I can tell you that it won't be a problem. We both know he's pretty protective of her, sure he's a metal-brained jerk, but he wouldn't hurt her… again." Natsu said while moving his arms behind his head, turning his gaze to the ceiling.

"I know he won't hurt her, that's not my concern either!" The blonde exclaimed to her rather oblivious partner. "Okay, I'm going to tell you something that you cannot tell Gajeel. Everyone else in the whole guild already knows about this, so I don't know how you don't… then again you _are_ a dense idiot."

"Hey!"

"Anyway," Lucy continued while brushing off his offense, "Levy has a crush on Gajeel, and I'm pretty certain that Gajeel feels the same way about her. Mira sent them on this mission in the hopes that they'd come back a couple. With the way they were acting this morning when they first sat down; I really think something might have happened between them."

Natsu just stared wide eyed at the girl, jaw dropped as he heard the news about his little blue haired guild mate.

"_Levy_… has a crush… on Gajeel?" He asked in shock, eyes going wider when his friend nodded resolutely at him. "_LEVY_… _our_ Levy?" He asked again, receiving another nod as an answer. "Likes the guy that attacked her, bolted her to a tree in the middle of Magnolia, and painted a rival guild's symbol on her stomach?"

"I know it's hard to believe, but you said it yourself; he's really protective of her now and obviously cares about her. You know him better now, he's different then he was with Phantom Lord. He's still an antisocial jerk, but he's a little more open with most of his guild mates, especially those of us that were on Tenrou Island." Lucy explained, desperately trying to make Natsu see why their friend's feelings are what they are. "I don't know all the details about what made her feel this way, all I know is that he treats her differently and she sees that. You've heard of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, it's just like that, and when you think about it that way, it's not so hard to see."

Natsu stood there in thought, staring at his best friend intensely as she explained the situation, at the end he nodded and grinned. "Well, now that I think about it, I guess it makes sense. You're definitely right about Gajeel, though; he's got it for her bad!"

"So you can see his feelings but not hers?"

"Eh? He's more obvious about it, one minute he's a total asshole to me, the next he's doing her bidding and acting like a lost puppy around her." Natsu explained with a shrug. "But why do we have to go spy on them? Just leave 'em alone and let them do their thing."

"Natsuuuu," Lucy pled with her partner before sighing and resorting to an old trick, "If you want we'll turn this into a game of Ninja."

The fire mage's eyes immediately lit up before he grabbed Lucy's hand and took off running for the gardens where he last scented the other duo. "Well when you put it that way, let's go Luce!"

When the pair approached the gardens, Natsu quickly dragged Lucy down to take cover behind a tree, putting his back to the trunk and pulling Lucy to sit between his legs as he squatted on the ground. As the fire dragon poked his head around the tree to spy on the relaxing couple; Lucy used the boy's leg as cover to poke her own head out to watch as well.

"Why can I only smell coffee?" Natsu absentmindedly asked his companion.

Lucy just shrugged before shushing the boy. "Be quiet; remember Gajeel might be able to hear you from here. If anything the coffee's keeping him from smelling us right now, so use it to our advantage, Ninja-san."

"Right!" Natsu whispered loudly before wrapping his scarf around his head and leaning back against the tree again. The pink haired dragon slayer followed up his actions by putting his hands together and giving his partner a look of utmost seriousness. "Nin-nin."

Lucy just face-palmed at her idiot partner's childishness as she watched him take on his ninja persona; _'At least that playfulness got me what I wanted.'_

Little did the pair know, but Gajeel had already heard them at their hiding spot, so Natsu's attempts at stealth were completely pointless. He chuckled quietly when he heard Lucy attempt to remind her teammate of his heightened senses; something that shouldn't have needed to be done considering Natsu had the same abilities. It was too late by that point, though, he had already heard them coming down the path leading to he and the bookworm reading in his lap.

Taking the risk of breathing in his partner's scent again, the iron mage leaned down to place his lips against her ear before whispering to her.

"We've got company, Shrimp," Gajeel informed her, leaning away so she could turn her head and give the man a quizzical look before he leaned in again to explain quietly. "Bunny Girl and Salamandar are hiding behind that tree a few yards away."

"Why are they hiding there?" Levy asked quietly.

"Beats me, I heard something about a Ninja game, though," Gajeel shrugged, he figured Lucy had wanted to spy on them but wasn't about to tell Levy that and have her possibly freak out. "I got an idea, though, to mess with them. Can you make a small script of 'fire'?"

Levy nodded at him slowly, somewhat confused about where he was going with his plan until he held up one of the pouches of coffee she had made earlier while changing his skin to his iron scales.

"Set this on fire." The dragon ordered, waiting until the cloth and coffee had a steady burn before continuing in a normal voice. "Oi, Salamandar!"

From where they sat they saw a small head of pink hair covered in a white scarf peek out almost sheepishly to look at them. As soon as Gajeel saw him, he waved his scaled arm in the air to show the other dragon the fire he held.

"Fetch!" He yelled out before tossing the ball of fire to the side and laughing hysterically when Natsu quickly jumped out from his hiding place to catch the treat in his mouth in mid-air.

Lucy immediately came out following after her partner, yelling at him as he finished his snack.

"Natsu! You got us caught!" She hollered while shaking the oblivious boy around; who only gave her a blank look as he happily finished his free meal. "He must have heard you! I told you to be quieter!"

The other couple in the clearing laughed before Gajeel moved to get up, pulling Levy with him.

"Now's our chance to get away, hopefully the coffee will keep masking our scent so he can't follow," Gajeel explained to his partner, helping her stuff her books back in her bag before grabbing her hand to run off.

"Natsu! They got away!" Was heard shortly after they got out of the clearing; making the two laugh again at the blonde's ruined plans.

As they made their way down the path hand in hand, back to the main building of the resort, they continued to glance back every so often to see if the other two had caught up with them again. They were almost out of the garden, though, when an invisible wall stopped them in their tracks.

"What the hell?" Gajeel shouted annoyed.

"Runes," Levy answered as she began to study the language and pattern of the trap they were caught in, "It looks like we have to answer a question before it'll let us out."

"Tsh, what's the question? I don't want Salamandar catching up anytime soon." The iron mage grumbled.

"Hmmm, 'what is your favorite thing about your partner?'" Levy read as the question materialized amongst the runes.

"That's an easy one, your smart and can do shit I don't even have a chance of understanding to begin with," Gajeel answered quickly, making the bluenette blush at his straight forward honesty. "So, what do you like about me Shrimp?" He then asked the girl, grinning excitedly as she thought out an answer that he was sure would boost his ego.

"Hmmm," Levy hummed in thought, giving her partner a cute, thoughtful look as she dragged out her decision. She could tell that he was hoping for some great compliment about his strength, that he was the best dragon slayer she knew, a great singer, or that he was incredibly handsome. While all of those were positives, except his singing, she wasn't about to tell him exactly what he wanted to hear, instead she was going to torture him a bit. "You know, it's really hard to answer that."

Gajeel immediately stopped grinning to frown at the girl; he didn't think she would have such a hard time finding something she liked about him. Despite their past, the fact that they were even friends meant she had to have a favorite thing about him, unless she couldn't decide between all of his awesome qualities. Realizing that that had to be the reason she was taking so long, he immediately let his smile spread across his face again.

"Come on, Shorty, I know I'm a great guy all around, but ya gotta say something."

When Levy heard his rather egotistical prodding, she couldn't help but giggle and turn away from him, preparing herself to make a run for it the second the rune walls went down, knowing the reaction she would get to her answer.

"Okay, okay Gajeel. I know exactly what my favorite thing about you is," she began, continuing after she heard a quiet 'Gi Hee' behind her, "I love the fact that despite your tough exterior, deep down you're really just a big teddy bear that likes to cuddle!"

As soon as she completed her answer, the walls went down, freeing her to make a break for it before the iron mage realized what it was she said. She only managed to put a few yards between them before she heard him yell out to her.

"Oi! Levy! Don't you just go saying shit like that! I'm not a stuffed animal; I'm a fucking iron dragon slayer!" Gajeel hollered at the bluenette running from him before taking off after her. "Oi! Levy, don't you dare think I'll let you get away with that! I'll make you take that back, Shrimp!"

The iron mage managed to catch up to his much smaller partner quickly, something she wasn't surprised about. What she was surprised about was the fact that as soon as he caught her, she found herself flipped upside down and tossed over the tall man's feather covered shoulder. Somehow he even managed to grab her bag off her shoulder and take it from her so she wouldn't have a weapon should she take offense to his manhandling.

"Gajeel! Put me down!" Levy shrieked while pounding her fists on his muscled back.

"Not until you take back calling me a teddy bear!" Gajeel yelled back, swatting her butt as punishment for daring to lessen his manliness.

"Don't touch my ass!" She reprimanded before squirming to try and get him off balance enough so that she could free herself.

"Don't compare me to a fucking stuffed animal!" He yelled back, hitting her lightly again.

"I said you were tough on the outside!" The girl whined in defense.

"I'm tough on the inside, too, damnit!"

"Oh come on, Gajeel! You know it's true, so don't deny it. You have a soft side that you don't show everyone, so stop acting like I insulted you, I said I liked that about you, geez!" Levy argued; annoyed that it seemed every time he spoke to her he paired it with another hit to her backside. She was just glad she could blame her red face on her annoyance instead of her embarrassment.

"What, you don't like the fact that I'm a bad ass mage?" Gajeel pouted, yet again smacking her backside. "That toughness is what's saved your life, ya know."

"Gajeeeeel," Levy warned lowly before sighing in defeat. "Okay, I like that you are strong and protect me, and could totally kick Natsu's ass," she started, adding the last part because she knew it would calm him down again, "_but_… I like that despite all that, you can still show a select few that you care… and you're really cute when you cuddle with Lily. It means that you're more complex than meets the eye and not many people get to see that. If it makes you feel better, we can keep it a secret just between you and me… and Lily since he already thinks the same thing."

Gajeel thought over her explanation for a minute before getting in one extra smack to her rear, "Alright, I guess that's acceptable, especially the part about me taking Natsu, so I won't punish you too harshly."

"Good! Now, are you going to put me down?" Levy asked hopefully, choosing to ignore his last bit of supposed punishment.

"Nope, you might go running off again, and this is gonna be part of you punishment," Gajeel told the pouting girl on his shoulder, yet again spanking her. He really couldn't help himself at that point, he wasn't mad, he even liked her explanation quite a bit, but he wasn't going to let go of an opportunity to tease her like he was. "I'll think about it, though, if you're a good girl."

"Gajeeeeel! Stop hitting my ass!"

"Geez, I think you're starting to spend too much time around me considering all that foul language you're using," he teased back, doing exactly what she asked him not to once he was done.

"I've only said 'ass,' and I've said that before I met you! Anyway, you are an ass if you keep on hitting me!"

"Good point, if you were spending too much time with me you'd have a more extensive vocabulary of insults," Gajeel casually pointed out as he walked them into the hotel, still 'punishing' her for the rune trap.

"Gajeel!" Levy hollered out before slumping against his shoulder, once again defeated by the stubborn man who was essentially ignoring her. "I give up, you win."

"Damn right I win!" The iron mage gloated before opening the door to their room and tossing the small woman onto the bed. "Now, I'll let you off the hook if ya make me some more iron."

With another sigh the girl did just that, making it as large as she could so that hopefully the dragon slayer would be appeased for the rest of the night.

"I'm surprised my ability to feed you wasn't your favorite thing about me," she groaned after collapsing on the bed; a full and happy dragon joining her a moment later.

"Didn't think about that, but it's still only my second favorite thing," Gajeel teased as he looked down on the bluenette before pulling her pliant body against his own as he settled down for a nap. "Now then, you get to be my teddy bear while I nap, Shrimp."

"I told you that you like to cuddle," she mumbled as Gajeel just chuckled before dozing off with the blue haired girl wrapped securely in his arms where he felt she belonged.

* * *

><p>Lucy and Natsu hadn't been too far behind their friends as they made their way out of the garden and had managed to catch the duo's entrapment in the runes.<p>

"Haha! He is a teddy bear!" Natsu said, agreeing with the blue haired mage when he heard her answer.

Lucy just laughed as she watched the other two run off, she couldn't help but sigh at how adorable their interaction was together. She could tell that, despite his supposed anger, Gajeel was still smiling as he teased the girl thrown over his shoulder.

"They're just so cute together." Lucy sighed dreamily. She couldn't help but hope that Mirajane got what she wanted out of those two.

Natsu just snorted in amusement but couldn't help but agree; between Levy and Lily, Gajeel had become much warmer to the people around him at the guild, he could still be a sadistic asshole at times, but he reserved that for their enemies. To think Gajeel could actually look cute, though, seemed strange and foreign to him, even if it was Levy the man was with.

"Well, you saw what you wanted to see, Luce, let's head in and get some food!" the pink haired salamander said, grabbing her hand as he pulled her in the direction of the exit. Just like the other couple, unfortunately, they found themselves trapped in a box of runes.

"Ugh, they must have these set up for couples as they leave the gardens," the blonde remarked as she waited for their request to appear.

"Doesn't matter! If it's the same as metal head got then this'll be easy!" Natsu exclaimed excitedly, automatically lighting his hand on fire as he prepared for the question. In his excitement, though, he didn't see Lucy's reaction as their task appeared before them, he was too lost in thought over what he could possibly say he liked about his partner, there were too many things to choose from.

"Uh… Natsu," the celestial mage whispered wide eyed as she stared at the rune wall before her, "I don't think it'll be as easy as you think."

The fire eater just turned to look at her quizzically before following her line of sight to look at what had come up, jaw dropping as soon as he read the runes: _'Show your love for your partner and give each other a kiss.'_

The two mages just stood there, staring in shock, for a moment before turning their surprised gazes at each other. Natsu was surprised to see a fearful look on his teammate's face as he took in her features and felt a little hurt that she was actually afraid of kissing him. The boy quickly dropped his surprise to take on a thoughtful appearance as he considered what they had to do. He had no problem kissing Lucy, she was his best friend, and he honestly had thought about what it would be like from time to time. Like sleeping on her breasts, it was one of those things that he was curious about. He liked her, she was definitely a gorgeous woman despite how many times it failed them when they tried to use her looks in a mission, she was nice most of the time, and a lot of fun to be around. It was just a simple kiss, it didn't have to mean anything to either one of them, and they could just brush it off and go back to having fun like always.

With his decision made, the dragon slayer stepped close to his partner, ignoring her shock as he quickly wrapped one arm around her waist while the other moved to cup her face with his hand. Before the blonde could think to pull away, Natsu did what he did best and just took action, placing his lips firmly on the woman's and kissing her. Lucky for him, Lucy didn't fight back, just accepted the situation as soon as they were in it and kissed back after only a moment's hesitation.

Natsu hadn't expected how good the girl would taste and feel against his lips, prompting him to linger in the kiss longer than he should have. Without any conscious thought, the man moved his hand to the back of her head, pulling the surprisingly willing woman in closer as he slanted his mouth to deepen their kiss. He lightly nibbled on Lucy's bottom lip, before slipping his tongue passed her slightly parted lips. Her flavor then exploded on his taste buds and he was consumed by her airy scent as he continued to pull her closer, enjoying the feel of her soft, warm body pressed flush against his own. He growled into her mouth when the hands that had been fisted in his shirt moved to grab hold of his spiky pink hair, pulling and tugging as they both got caught up in the embrace.

When the need to breathe began to override their immense enjoyment of their activities, Natsu pulled away to stare down at the woman in his arms. Both of them were panting as they looked into identically dazed eyes and tried to regain their senses. The salamander couldn't help but enjoy looking at Lucy's rumpled appearance; her hair was twisted and knotted where his hand had been, and her shirt had been lifted slightly by his other hand that had apparently made its way under the garment to wander over her delicate skin. The only thought he had about what just occurred, was that he could definitely get used to doing that more often with her.

Lucy, while having similar thoughts as her partner, managed to break out of the lust induced haze faster as she blushed bright red and quickly pulled away to fix her messy appearance. As soon as she saw that the runes had fallen during their impromptu make-out session, she quickly turned back towards the exit without a word and walked out. Though still in a daze, her partner followed close behind until they reached their room where Lucy immediately grabbed a fresh set of clothes and locked herself in the bathroom to shower, not speaking a word to the now confused pink haired man in the room.

She needed some time to process what had occurred between her and her best friend; she had definitely enjoyed it and if she was any good at judging Natsu's expression, it was safe to assume that he did, too. Taking a quick shower, the blonde then dipped herself into a nice, hot bath to clear her mind so she could think on her newest revelation for the mission.

Lucy had kissed; more like made out with, her best friend and teammate, and liked it. At the time, she had found herself actually wanting to continue with what they were doing, having completely forgotten about the runes being the sole reason they kissed in the first place. She had never thought that Natsu would be able to make her feel the way she had during the kiss, the kiss that she had come to realize was her first. As much as she thought she should be upset about the fact that her first kiss was wasted on breaking out of a rune trap, she couldn't bring up the energy to be mad. If she was going to have a first kiss stolen in such a way, she was glad that it was with Natsu, who she knew at least cared about her. It also helped that it was a great first, so there was no disappointment there.

With all the positives she felt for what had happened, the only glaringly horrible thing was the immense confusion that followed. Only the night before she had been falling asleep to thoughts on her feelings for the dragon slayer and Mira's constant interferences in their relationship; and she had come to the conclusion that she wasn't going to think about it anymore. Now she was back to thinking about her partner as someone who could be something more than a friend, on top of that she had an experience that gave her something to consider about what it would be like to actually be Natsu Dragneel's girlfriend. With a quiet groan, Lucy slipped under the water enough to cover her face up to her nose, hiding her confused pout.

'_I can't possibly want to be that idiot's girlfriend! He's dense, stubborn, outrageously competitive, and destructive on a level no one can actually measure. It's already hard enough keeping up with him as his friend,' _Lucy thought to herself_. 'But, he is a lot of fun to be with, and always good at protecting me but showing me that he thinks I'm strong enough to fight, too. He's loyal, caring, passionate, and my best friend.'_

The blonde mage wanted to scream out in frustration at how confused she was about everything, but then Natsu would barge into the bathroom thinking she was in trouble. If Mira was in the room, Lucy would have wrung the white haired mage's neck until she fixed the mess she had gotten her into. With another sigh the girl gave up on thinking further on her confusion, instead she would talk to Levy the first chance she had to at least get everything off her chest.

As she began to pull out of the tub, she was surprised by a tentative knock on the bathroom door. She knew it had to be Natsu, but the knock was so unlike him that she realized he must have been worried about her behavior.

"Luce, you okay in there?" the dragon slayer asked softly through the barrier, proving Lucy's theory correct.

"Yeah," the blonde called out just as quietly, "just finishing up."

"Alright," Natsu answered before she heard him move away from the door again, leaving her to finish getting dressed again.

Slipping on a simple denim skirt and pink tank top, the mage looked at herself in the mirror as she brushed out her hair. Pulling on the ends of some strands, she puffed her cheeks in irritation as she saw that a few strands had been singed by Natsu's hand earlier. Once that thought came to her, she again flushed bright red as she realized that he must have gotten excited and lost control of his fire magic. The confusion she had just successfully forced herself to ignore came back to the forefront of her mind as she thought that Natsu may have gotten excited because he had enjoyed their kiss as much as she did. If Natsu had enjoyed it that much, then maybe he would want to do it again. So the question in her mind was: would she let him?

The only answer she had for that question was 'yes,' and that had her freaking out again about whether or not he would even try to kiss her again. The endless cycle of confusion was back, and Lucy desperately needed a girlfriend to talk to about it all. Even if Levy couldn't help her, she was sure just talking it out would at least help her finish out the mission with some peace of mind.

Lucy forced herself to calm down once again, telling herself over and over to wait until dinner and she could let it all out to Levy. She just had to stay calm for a short while and then everything would be fine. All she had to do was relax and read a book to get her mind off of everything temporarily. With her pep talk firmly in place, Lucy then took a deep breath before turning to enter the bedroom again.

As soon as she opened the door, she found Natsu sitting quietly on the bed, legs crossed in front of him as he sat and watched her leave the bathroom. Still not trusting herself enough to speak to him without blurting out something incredibly stupid, Lucy just made her way to the couch after grabbing a book from her bag. As she sat, she saw that Natsu had turned on the bed to continue watching her, a confused and slightly hurt pout adorning his face that nearly had her resolve break.

"Luce?" Natsu spoke up quietly, seeming almost afraid that if he spoke any louder she would vanish on him.

Lucy knew she couldn't keep up the silent act with him for too long; none of this was really his fault so she couldn't have him thinking she was mad at him. So, after silently rehearsing her short answer in her head so that she didn't say the wrong thing, she forced herself to speak to the dragon.

"Natsu, can we talk later?"

Natsu let out a small whine before nodding at his friend in understanding. Lucy then graced him with a small smile, hoping that the gesture would ease any concerns he may have had, before turning back to her book. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the salamander lay down on the bed facing her, continuing to watch her as she read. Glancing at the clock she was thankful that they only had an hour until dinner then they could let the other couple distract them for a bit.

'_It's going to be a long night…'_ was her last thought before sinking into another world written on the pages in front of her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So after going through this again before posting, I realized I seriously have a thing with Gajeel tossing Levy over his shoulder. For those that have read my one shots, I'm sure you might have noticed it, too. I don't know what it is, maybe it's with the size difference, along with Gajeel's personality in general, but I can just see him doing that with her. I've read other GaLe fics, though, where other authors seem to be in agreement on him being the manhandling type, carrying his girl like a sack of potatoes rather than as a princess, so at least I know I'm not alone.**

**Oh, and as for NaLu's rune trap, for some reason I don't like how I worded their task. I don't know, I just couldn't come up with a better way to tell them to kiss, so sorry if that just sounded off. But, get ready for more NaLu in the next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**So I decided to update early again because as I've been going through the chapters I have written so far, I really felt like I rushed the plot at some points, so I rewrote the upcoming 8th and 9th chapters... and I'm in love with my new chapter 9! It's short, but I can't wait to post it so I'm getting chapter 6 out for you all so I can get to that chapter faster, lol.**

**More NaLu in this chapeter, but it's more along the lines of guy talk with Gajeel (I finally let you know what's going through Natsu's mind), but there's some more fluffiness/ sexual tension between the couples, too. Please enjoy, and read and review (I honestly love you all that have reviewed so far, you just make me feel so wonderful inside... I swear I begin seeing little rainbows, stars, and bunnies dancing around every time I see a new review, lol).**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Fairy Tail or the plot, that guy Mashima owns them; only he would suddenly decide that all dragon slayers need to suffer from motion sickness and take away from Natsu's unique cuteness... oh well, Gajeel looked so adorable when he was confused about that... and Levy was worried, awwww.**

* * *

><p>Levy and Gajeel had woken nearly an hour before dinner, giving Levy enough time to write out the rune pattern they had faced earlier while Gajeel changed into some jeans and a black button down shirt. When the iron mage exited the bathroom, slowly buttoning up his shirt, he found Levy immersing herself in translating the runes, which meant if he didn't distract her then they'd never eat.<p>

"Oi, Shrimp, do that later," he said as he plopped down on the bed next to her, the force causing the smaller mage and her books to jump into the air slightly.

"This is a really simple code, nothing like Freed's runes," Levy mumbled to herself, not even noticing that she had company.

Gajeel frowned at his companion, again he liked watching her work, but he also liked to eat, so something had to give. Glancing at the clock he saw they still had a half an hour, so he'd just have to humor her for a short time and let her work; but he was going to make sure he got some entertainment out of it.

Picking himself up again, Gajeel crawled across the bed to where the bluenette was laying on her stomach with her nose in a book, and then proceeded to crawl on top of her. As he settled his weight over her slight body, allowing him to look over her shoulder while she worked, the woman continued to study her book, still oblivious to his presence.

"Gi Hee," the dragon chuckled to himself, excited about the challenge he had in distracting the girl.

Moving some strands of her blue hair from her face, Gajeel leaned in to lightly blow on the girl's neck, smiling when he saw her twitch slightly. Unfortunately she only tried to swat at the ticklish spot before returning to work, still no reaction to the dragon laying on her. Seeing that he had to work a little harder to get the blue haired mage's attention, Gajeel leaned in further to run his metal studded nose along her jaw, making sure the cold studs grazed her skin.

This time he got a soft squeak before Levy pulled her face away again, turning to him long enough to glare at the intrusion before going back to her translation. With a frown, Gajeel realized that as long as that book was there, he'd never get the reaction he wanted no matter what he did. So, the large man slid his arms under Levy's, forcing his body to completely cover the small woman's as he reached out to take her hands from the book. That earned him another squeak, but still nothing more came from her until he took the book in his hands and shut it, leaving the notepad inside to hide it from the bookworm. As soon as the pages were removed from her sight, Levy immediately realized the position they were in and turned bright red.

"Gajeeeeel!" Levy whined while trying to free her body from the heavy man's weight.

"Relax, Levy," Gajeel whispered as he buried his face against her neck and moved to lace his fingers with hers. Her movements had brought attention to how intimate the position he chose was, and he knew his control was non-existent after the day they had in the gardens, any more temptation and he was going to jump her. "We gotta get down to dinner, I'm sure Bunny Girl's gonna be dying to see you after suffering a whole day with that idiot."

With a nod, Levy relaxed under the iron dragon's body and squeezed his hands lightly as she allowed herself to linger in his arms before he slowly removed himself from her. She thought it was her imagination, but he had seemed reluctant in letting her go. She just brushed off the thought, assuming that he was just being careful so he didn't accidentally hurt her.

As soon as she was free, the bluenette picked herself up and smoothed out her rumpled dress. When done she turned to her partner, surprised to see that he had been watching the whole time, and gestured that she was ready to go. Without another word, Gajeel grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers with her own, and they left for the resort's restaurant.

When they reached the restaurant they learned that their other teammates had not yet arrived, so they went ahead and sat themselves while waiting for the other two. After only a few minutes, the couple at the table saw their friends enter, the sight of which caused them to share a confused look before looking back at the other pair. Lucy was walking as fast as she could to their table without looking like she was obviously in a hurry, something she failed at doing, while Natsu followed behind with a depressed aura, slumping along after his teammate. Gajeel figured if the boy was any more depressed, he'd be crawling on the floor, if moving at all.

To their surprise, as soon as Lucy reached the table, she grabbed Levy and literally dragged the girl out of the restaurant, mumbling something about going to the bathroom. After watching his partner's blue head of hair disappear from sight, he turned to watch Natsu as the other dragon slayer collapsed in the chair across from him.

"Rough day?" Gajeel questioned, a studded eyebrow raised as he wondered what had happened in the few hours between their run-in in the garden and now.

"You can say that," was the initial reply, before Natsu continued so quietly Gajeel was straining to hear it. "I kissed Lucy."

"WHAT?" Gajeel yelled out before remembering where they were and leaned forward to talk without anyone overhearing. "Not that I care or anything, but why the hell did you do that?"

"Runes," Natsu answered, knowing that no further explanation would be needed.

Gajeel's eyes widened at the implication and he realized that he and Levy had gotten lucky with their question, then again part of him was screaming in anger that he hadn't gotten a chance to kiss her.

"So, what's the problem, then? If ya had to do it to get out, then you both should have gotten over it, especially you."

"We would have, if I hadn't lost control," the salamander answered honestly, elaborating after looking at Gajeel's rather blank expression. "I liked how she tasted, and we kinda made out. I seriously went too far and I think Lucy hates me now!"

By the time Natsu finished, the iron mage was staring at him wide eyed, trying to decide if he should help the pathetic man or make fun of him. He hated the fact that it was actually a difficult decision, normally he'd just make fun of his rival, but his incredibly depressed state made him feel bad for the guy that was the most happy-go-lucky guild member. With a sigh, Gajeel decide to spare Natsu for the moment, he'd make fun of him later when he was cheered up.

"I doubt Bunny Girl hates you, she's probably just confused. Anyway, were you guys still in the garden when it happened?"

"Yeah, we were right at the exit, same place you guys got caught…. _Teddy bear_." Salamander answered, cheering up enough at the reassurance that his partner didn't hate him.

"Oi! I'm trying to help ya out here, but if you're gonna be that way I'll tell Lucy what you said this morning and then she will hate you!" Gajeel growled out, successfully scaring Natsu into being quiet again after a quick 'Aye, I'm sorry.' "Anyway, as I was gonna say, those damn trees were enchanted with a scent based spell. It has a bigger effect on guys like us with heightened senses. I kinda lost control with Levy before you guys came, she managed to resist the effects long enough to fix things before I went too far. Why do ya think that clearing smelled like coffee?"

"I guess that makes sense, though why aren't you and Levy acting weird? Why's it just Lucy?" Natsu agreed before taking on a whining tone.

"Hell if I know fire-breath, probably cuz Levy's better then your weird chick, and it helped that we knew to blame it on the trees. I'm sure the shrimp will talk some sense into your girl and things can go back to the way they were before."

"Lucy is a weirdo, so maybe that's it. But… the weird thing is; I don't think I want things to go back to the way they were." Natsu remarked thoughtfully, once again surprising his fellow dragon into staring at him with a shocked expression.

"Seriously? Are you telling me you just now figured out that you like Bunny Girl?" Gajeel answered, somehow still aware enough to keep his voice down.

"What do you mean just now figured out? I've known for awhile now that I like her, I just didn't know how much until today. Not everyone's like you, Gajeel; falling for a girl as soon as she stops fearing you."

"What the fuck? How the hell do you even know?" the iron mage asked in disbelief, he had thought that he'd been careful about hiding his feelings.

"Everybody knows; according to Lucy that's the whole reason Mira sent you and Levy on this mission. She's trying to get you two together." The pink haired mage shrugged at his rival.

"Well, if that's the case, then she probably sent you and Lucy for the same reason," Gajeel answered back, trying to move the subject away from that topic since it just made him think too much.

Natsu was too shocked after Gajeel had mentioned that to care that he was trying to get away from talking about his relationship with the solid script mage. He had never really thought about why Mira had chosen the team she did for this mission; he just figured it was because of the dragon slayer thing. When Lucy had told him about Mira's plan for the other couple, he still never thought that he and Lucy could be in the same position. If that was the case, he could now understand why both girls had been freaking out when Mira volunteered them.

"Shit, I'm such an idiot," the pink haired mage groaned before slamming his head on the table.

"Gi Hee. Won't argue with you there, Pinky." Gajeel chuckled as he munched on a fork before realizing that the girls still weren't back from 'the bathroom.' "Oi, what the hell's taking so long with the girls?"

Natsu just shrug while lightly banging his head on the table, before mumbling a reply. "When Lucy freaks out it can take awhile to calm her back down. Considering I'm usually the one doing the calming, she's probably going a bit crazier since now I'm the reason for her messed up emotions."

"Well fuck, I'm hungry and don't want to be stuck talking to you anymore. You're seriously depressing like this."

Natsu stopped banging his head to instead rest his chin on the table and stare blankly at the other dragon slayer.

"Then tell me what the hell to do to make this better!" Natsu begged, not realizing that he was asking the wrong person.

"How the hell should I know?"

Natsu just whined before returning to his head banging, an action that caused the man across from him to growl in annoyance and kick the fire mage in the shin under the table. The salamander yelped in pain before glaring back at the other mage, both just barely able to hold off on fighting for fear of their female partners' wrath should they destroy the resort before they even had a chance to finish the mission.

"Listen up, you stupid salamander," Gajeel growled out, "I'll do ya a favor if it'll shut you up for the rest of the night. After dinner, I'll talk to Levy about Bunny Girl and see if she has any advice for you. But this favor ain't coming cheap, got it. You're gonna owe me so much I'm sure you'll regret it. So whaddya say? How badly do you want to be with Lucy?"

Natsu continued to glare, but it was morphed by the intensely contemplative expression that appeared on his face at the iron mage's offer. Figuring that he was screwed without something to go off of, the pink haired man nodded in agreement just as the two girls walked back into the restaurant.

"Gi Hee," Gajeel laughed as he reached across the table and sealed their agreement with a handshake.

"Well, never thought I'd actually see you two getting along for this long," Levy commented idly as she took her seat next to the dark haired slayer.

"Haha, I was expecting the whole restaurant to be destroyed when we got back," Lucy chimed in cheerfully as she sat down as well, smiling at Natsu when he turned to look at her.

"It was touch and go there for a bit," Gajeel admitted, "Any longer and it probably would have happened. But we're both fucking hungry and it woulda been a waste to destroy the place with the food. So can we eat already?"

"Yeah yeah, settle down. It looks like your silverware served as your appetizer anyway," the bluenette said while nudging her partner's side, pointedly looking at his place set missing a fork and spoon, and on it's way to missing a butter knife seeing as his was already half eaten.

"Tsh, whatever," Gajeel grunted before leaning in to talk in Levy's ear, "By the way, Shrimp, your gonna tell me what that was all about later. I'll let ya know what the idiot over there told me, too."

Levy giggled before nodding, surprised that the iron dragon would actually care to know what was going on between the other two. She was happy he was willing to get involved, though, since she needed to get some information from him for Lucy.

With that the group finally ordered dinner and let the food distract them from their first full, and surprisingly eventful, day at the mountain resort.

* * *

><p>"Alright, Levy, spill it. What the hell was up with Bunny Girl?" Gajeel demanded of his partner the second they entered their hotel room.<p>

"Wow, I'm surprised by how eager you are to get involved with this, Gajeel," Levy teased, giggling when he only scowled deeper in response. "Okay, I'm sure you already know about the kiss from Natsu's side of things. Well, let's just say Lucy is very, very confused now."

"Tsh, I already figured that much, those two are clueless idiots who could be the last two people alive and they still wouldn't understand their fucking relationship."

"I think they would have eventually realized their feelings for each other, I know Lucy was at least aware that there was something different in how she felt about him; she just didn't want to face it considering it's Natsu." The bluenette sighed as she sank down onto the couch, her partner joining her but turning his body to sit facing her.

"Can't say I don't blame the girl, what would it say about her to fall for that idiot?"

"Gajeel, stop being mean, Natsu's a good guy, albeit a very dense and destructive guy, but he's still good," Levy argued in her friend's defense, frowning at Gajeel's snort of amusement. "_Anyway_, as I was saying, she wasn't really ready to come to terms with her feelings for him, and then they got stuck in those runes. She feels like she crossed a line because she enjoyed what happened and felt like she wanted it to continue; he's her best friend and partner, she feels like she shouldn't be allowed to like him as anything more. Considering she's never had a boyfriend before, and that was her first kiss, she doesn't quite understand her feelings. She thinks that it's just because it was her first and since it was actually good, it was twisting her thoughts to make her feel like she wanted more when in reality she just doesn't know better. At the same time, she admitted that at one time she had thought of wanting to be Natsu's girlfriend, so what she felt must be real. Basically, right now her head is conflicting with her heart and she doesn't know what to do."

"Shit, I don't even know what half the shit you said just now means; she really is confused. So how'd ya get her to calm down?" The iron mage asked.

"Well, I mentioned the enchantment on the cherry blossoms; that made her feel better right away. Also I told her I'd see if you had an idea on what she should do with Natsu and that she should just act normal until something else comes up," Levy admitted, smiling shyly when Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her comment on volunteering him to help with their couple issues, despite the fact that he did the same thing.

"Did ya really think I'd help?" He asked.

"Ummm, well I figured if I asked nicely and bribed you with food you probably would. But, considering you seem to have gotten yourself involved, I guess I don't need to do that."

"Wrong, Short stuff; I still want you to bribe me." Gajeel said, grinning at the girl as she rolled her eyes at his seemingly bottomless pit of a stomach; she figured it must be a male dragon slayer thing; or just a male thing in general.

"Fine, fine, I'll feed you; not like I don't already do that anyway." The solid script mage sighed. "So, what happened with Natsu?"

"He likes her, wants to kiss her again, but he's afraid she hates him now…. Damn men are simpler." The dragon slayer summed up, getting straight to the point as always.

"Well I guess you have it a little easier than I do," Levy remarked, taking on a thoughtful expression as she tried to figure out what the best course of action was for the other pair. She didn't want to push Lucy into anything any faster than she already had been, but she seemed to need a clear cut path and reassurance that her partner had similar feelings. "I guess if you're planning on helping Natsu, it'd be best for him to just do what he normally does; take action and deal with the consequences later. I'll try to talk to Lucy a bit more and get her used to the idea of being with Natsu. Those two can't be allowed to over think things too much, just going with the flow is more their thing."

Gajeel nodded in agreement while in the back of his mind he wondered how he even got to a point in life where he actually got involved in his guild mates' relationship drama. Idly he realized he must be going soft, but one glance at the blue haired girl next to him reminded him that if it meant she hung around more than it was definitely worth it.

"Mira will be ecstatic if things work out for them." Levy absentmindedly stated, drawing the man's attention back to her as he stiffened at the comment that reminded him about what Natsu had said at dinner.

"So, you knew she was behind all this?" He asked, wondering exactly how much she was aware of.

Levy immediately went wide eyed and blushed before stuttering a response that didn't give anything away about her feelings for him, or at least she had hoped it didn't.

"Ummm, we- well, yeah…. She's tried to get those two together before, but she also tried to get Lucy with Gray…. She wasn't as aggressive those times, though, so I guess she's really serious about getting them together."

Gajeel narrowed his eyes at the small woman as she blatantly avoided any mention of why they were also sent on a mission that was obviously a set up for Mirajane's matchmaking scheme. He could tell she knew something, but he couldn't tell if her avoidance meant that she knew his feelings or that she didn't want him to know her own thoughts. If things worked out for Natsu and Blondie, he'd have to get some information out of them considering if the salamander had known about the mission, then the celestial mage would probably know even more.

With a grunt the iron mage picked himself up off the couch, deciding to push his own potential relationship issues aside to focus on the absolutely oblivious couple the room over. As he moved to go talk to the fire mage, he ruffled the blue head of hair hiding his partner's blushing face, causing her to turn slightly guarded eyes up at him.

"I'm gonna go talk to Salamander, you want me to send Bunny Girl over so you can talk to her?"

"Sure, I guess it would be best to try and get this over with as soon as possible. We don't want any of their issues to possibly interfere with the mission." Levy agreed, happy that they were both avoiding the subject of their partnership's place in Mira's plans.

With a quick nod of the head Gajeel turned to head out of the room, but had a second thought that had him returning to Levy's side for a quick moment. Catching her off guard, he chuckled as the small woman squeaked in alarm as he wrapped his large arms around her tiny frame and once again nuzzled into her neck, just below her ear. He was curious about something and wanted to test it out before running off.

"Don't worry so much about Mira, Levy, we'll deal with her when we get back," he whispered in her ear, letting his lips linger as he brushed them lightly across the appendage. He grinned as he felt her shiver in his embrace and lean more into him, her body language saying all he needed to know for the time being. With one last nuzzle, the iron mage released the blushing woman and left to drag the salamander off for a fight to get rid of some frustration while also helping that idiot out with his problems. As he walked out the door, though, he glanced back long enough to catch Levy's dazed expression as she rested her hand over her neck and ear; chuckling to himself as he shut the door behind him.

"Mira might just luck out and not get punished as badly as I planned," Gajeel mumbled to himself as he walked down the hall and knocked on the other couple's door.

* * *

><p>When Lucy and Natsu got to their room, the blonde mage allowed herself to collapse on the bed with a sigh of relief. She was right about talking things out with Levy, she felt so much better about what had happened. She could blame the trees for things getting out of control; sure Levy also wanted to get some advice from Gajeel, but just knowing about that stupid spell was all she needed at the moment to give her enough reassurance to act normally around her partner.<p>

Speaking of the pink haired man, he had sat himself next to the woman on the bed while giving her a tentative look, watching her relax. Lucy smiled up at her friend, letting him know that he didn't have to be so afraid of her. Her good mood was infectious and easily had a stupid grin return to Natsu's face as he laid himself down next to her.

"So, Lucy," Natsu began, "you feeling better now?"

"Yeah," Lucy sighed before turning her head to catch the man's gaze as he did the same, "I just felt confused, but Levy helped me figure everything out. Sorry I worried you so much."

Natsu just shook his head before speaking again. "It was pretty confusing, I'm just glad Levy was able to help you."

After the short exchange the two lost track of anything they may have wanted to say before and instead just laid on the bed staring at one another. After a few moments Natsu turned his whole body to face the blonde lying next to him and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her against him for a hug. Resting his forehead against the girl's, Natsu grinned at his best friend as she blushed lightly under his attention. He wondered off hand if he was still feeling some of the effects from the garden, but brushed it off as he let his hand run up and down Lucy's back, pulling a soft hum from her as she closed her eyes under his ministrations.

Lucy always loved it when Natsu was willing to relax in peace and quiet, mainly because it was so rare for him to do. As much fun as Natsu was, the celestial mage enjoyed the serenity that came with a calm Natsu. It was this side of the fire mage that always came across as more affectionate to her, more willing to focus all of his attention on her. This is the Natsu who had come up with the plan to steal one of Magnolia's cherry blossoms when she was sick so she wouldn't miss out on the blooming, it was this Natsu who she found sleeping in her apartment mumbling for her to come home, it was this Natsu that stood by her side and comforted her after she learned of her father's death.

As the fire mage watched his partner relaxing as his hand moved along her back and eventually up into her hair, he couldn't help but want to get closer to her, to feel more of her. He wanted to continue what they started in the gardens, but he had no idea if she would be so willing, and the last thing he wanted was to confuse her after she had finally calmed down again. He had to wait until Gajeel could give him some sort of information that he could work with, but it was so hard when she was right in front of his face with her eyes closed, and lips slightly parted, a light blush still settling on her cheeks. She looked so cute that he couldn't help himself as he leaned closer, letting their noses brush, trailing his hand from her hair down to her jaw. Just as he was about to give in again, a rather sharp and loud knocking was heard from the door, causing Natsu to jump away from the now alert woman next to him.

Picking up Gajeel's scent coming from the hall, Natsu rushed to door and opened it forcefully as his annoyance at being interrupted clashed with his appreciation for being stopped before upsetting Lucy caused the fire mage to revert to the tried and true emotion of anger. As he glared at the iron dragon, he received an equally deadly look in return, though a slight hint of amusement could be seen in the taller man's eyes.

"Salamander, let's go to the training grounds so I can kick your ass for spying on us earlier." Gajeel stated simply, knowing the idiot probably needed an outlet for his own frustration as he spied the blonde mage sitting up on the bed, practically reeking of the fire dragon's scent.

"Kyahaha, like you could kick my ass anyway! But you're on!" Natsu exclaimed back, pushing himself out of the room to head to an area reserved for sparing. "I'll be back later, Luce, gotta teach this asshole a lesson."

"Tsh, it'll be the other way around, bastard," the iron mage grunted before turning to glance at the blonde again. "Oi, Bunny Girl, Levy wanted you to go over and watch a movie or something. If you don't go quick she might get distracted trying to translate those runes we came across."

"Okay, thanks for letting me know," Lucy smiled at the man while getting up to head to the room next to theirs. "Try not to hurt each other too much, Levy and I don't want to be playing nurse the rest of the week."

"Yeah, whatever," Gajeel mumbled while trying to ignore the rather racy image of a Nurse Levy that appeared in his mind. Looking at Natsu, he could guess the other mage was having similar thoughts about his own partner. Once again feeling benevolent, the iron studded man gave his rival a good distraction by grabbing the end of his scarf and literally dragging the dragon down the hall, ignoring any choking sounds he heard. "Come on, Salamander, we don't got all night."

As soon as the two dragons reached the fighting area, Gajeel dropped Natsu to the ground and turned to face the other man. As soon as he was turned, though, he met a fist of fire that sent him flying a few yards from where he had been standing.

"So I did interrupt something, eh?" Gajeel teased as he picked himself up, a feral glint coming to his eye as he grinned maniacally at his opponent. "I'll warn ya, though, I got some advice for ya from Levy; so ya better be careful if ya wanna fight first. Too many hits and I may just forget what she said."

Hearing his rival's comment had Natsu backing down quickly, figuring he'd rather get the information he wanted before he threw himself into a good fight.

"Alright, we'll fight after you tell me what to do," the fire mage said, crossing his arms over his chest as he spoke.

"Tsh, alright, if that's what you'd prefer," Gajeel sighed, kind of disappointed that he wouldn't get to tease the other slayer more. "I can't tell ya what Lucy feels cuz honestly what Levy said confused the hell out of me; then again your girl's pretty confused about this shit anyway. But Levy said that you should just go on doing what you do best and going with the flow, follow your instincts and whatever. She said she'd talk to Lucy for ya a bit, too. Just don't over think things and she said you'd be fine."

Natsu just frowned at the advice; he wanted to know whether or not Lucy would hate him or be mad at him again if he did what he wanted.

"What if Lucy doesn't like me that much? She'll hate me if I try to push her into something she doesn't want."

"She won't hate you, as long as you don't piss her off if she does reject you, then I'm sure you'll be fine. But, I'm pretty damn sure she won't push you away, at least not for long. The shrimp said she just needs some persuasion, and I'm sure you can handle that just fine." Gajeel reassured the other man as he began cracking his knuckles in preparation for their fight. "So, Salamander, since I helped you out like I said I would, you gonna tell me if you know anything 'bout Levy that may be of interest to me?"

"Hooooooo," Natsu began amusedly as he, too, began preparing for battle, "You haven't actually helped me yet, just told me to do what I want. I won't know if it's helped until I get Lucy, ya know."

"Gi Hee, but ya know it'll work, Levy would never steer you wrong." The iron dragon stated as he stomped back towards the other mage.

"Geez, you're so sure of your girl, aren't you? You really have fallen hard for her." He teased back with a wide grin on his own face. "Anyway, Lucy told me I can't tell you anything, but I gotta say I was pretty surprised to hear it."

"So there is something," Gajeel grinned as he felt himself get excited, whether it be for the fight or what he assumed his rival was hiding from him, he didn't know, either way he was going to get rid of some stress.

Natsu didn't answer, but the iron mage didn't need to hear anymore, as they both launched themselves at each other and put all of their frustration into their fists. For so much to happen in one full day at the resort, they were sure to be pretty beat up before the hour was up.

* * *

><p>As soon as Levy opened the door to her hotel room, Lucy came flying in to tackle her friend in a hug, knocking the two girls onto the floor as the blonde mage was obviously panicking again.<p>

"I think he was going to kiss me again!" Lucy half whispered, half yelled as she tried to make sure no one else in the hotel heard what was happening. "We were lying in bed, completely relaxed, and he started leaning closer, and closer, and right when I was sure he was going to kiss me your damn boyfriend had to knock on the door! Part of me is relieved, but another part is screaming that Gajeel ruined everything. I wanted it to happen, Levy! What the hell does that mean?"

Lucy had picked herself up off the girl as she ranted, choosing to shake the girl back and forth as she went on about what had just happened. When she finished speaking, she fortunately also stopped shaking the poor bluenette to death, instead choosing to wait patiently for an answer. As soon as Levy felt the room stop spinning, she was more than happy to give the hysterical blonde her advice.

"Just stop freaking out and get it through your head! You. Like. Natsu!" Levy yelled back before calming down again. "I know you are really confused about this, but it really is that simple. Just stop thinking about it so much and just relax."

"But… but… it's Natsu," Lucy whined softly, still trying to deny what was happening to her.

"I know, sweetie, it is Natsu; and what's so wrong about that, he's your best friend and cares about you more than anyone, except for Igneel." Levy reasoned quietly while placing an arm around her friend. "Are you scared that he might not feel the same way?"

"No… yes… I don't know," the blonde answered, unsure about when she really accepted her feelings. Only one day into the mission and Mirajane was getting exactly what she wanted.

"If that's the case, then I don't think you should worry about it. Natsu may be dense, but I'm pretty sure that after today there are some things he can't ignore." The script mage told her friend honestly, giggling when the other girl raised surprised eyes to her. "Gajeel talked to him while we were in the bathroom at dinner; Natsu was afraid you hated him because he lost control. And you said it yourself; you think he almost kissed you again just a few minutes ago, if all that is true; then there really isn't anything you should be worrying about. Just let things happen as they come and decide how you feel about them in the moment, and stop thinking about it!"

Lucy just stared in wonder at her blue haired savior and broke down in tears of relief in the small woman's arms.

"LEVY! Thank you!" She sobbed into the girl's chest.

Levy just giggled at her friend's over the top emotions, somewhat surprised that she herself didn't experience them when she realized she liked Gajeel. Then again she never really denied them to herself so passionately, despite all that they had been through.

"And Lu-chan, if you'd like, I heard a rumor that a certain lightening mage has a thing for a certain demon barmaid; maybe when we get back we should look into that a bit," the bluenette said in a sing-song voice, easily changing her friend's broken down state into one of absolute excitement over the prospect of revenge.

"Well, I guess I do owe Mira quite a bit after this mission," Lucy said with a smile on her lips, "and maybe you will, too."

* * *

><p>Elsewhere, back in Magnolia, a blonde S-class mage sat at the bar of Fairy Tail enjoying a drink with his Raijinshuu.<p>

"Oi, Mira! Another over here!" Laxus hollered at the white haired waitress.

"Here you go, Laxus," Mira said with a smile as she handed the older mage a fresh mug of beer.

As she walked away, though, she stopped as out of nowhere a feeling of foreboding washed over her. She felt compelled to turn back to the master's grandson and saw that he seemed to be watching her with an identical look of concern on his face.

"I have a feeling we're in for hell when those four get back," Laxus commented, wiping the concerned look off his face as he took a sip of beer.

"Oh dear, hopefully I didn't go too far," Mira mumbled before turning back to polishing glasses, trying to ignore the strange feeling that just didn't seem to want to pass.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you all enjoyed this! I can tell you this, NaLu fans will be happy with the next chapter, which I might post on Sunday.<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**As promised, chapter 7! NaLu fans will be happy with this one, I'm sure, but I'll warn you, I return my focus to GaLe after this... though I'm going to try and insert as much NaLu as I can later on. Anyway, enjoy, read, review... they really are wonderful!**

**Disclaimer: Do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Mashima.**

* * *

><p>When Gajeel finally made it back to his room after a good two hours of fighting with Natsu, he was definitely bruised and battered, but he was happy to say that the fire dragon slayer wasn't any better. Dragging himself back into the room, he wasn't surprised to find Levy once again lying in bed translating the runes from earlier. He figured it would be a good time to get cleaned up; leaving the girl to concentrate since he knew those runes had to be broken quickly.<p>

After showering and changing into his shorts for bed, the iron mage walked back into the bedroom to see his partner still completely absorbed in her work, and, with a sigh, went to lie down next to her. Lying on his stomach next to Levy; Gajeel watched the girl write out the languages and codes needed to decipher the runes while mumbling to herself in what sounded like pure gibberish to him. He really did enjoy watching her work, while most would be bored; he found what she did fascinating. It was so drastically different from his own magic that he couldn't help but feel amazed by what she could do. While he loved having the script mage's undivided attention most of the time, he very rarely tried to distract her from her work, there were, of course, some exceptions to that rule that typically involved food or her life being in danger. Unlike earlier, though, he didn't have anything else he'd rather be doing than lying next to the woman and trying to absorb even a modicum of what she was doing.

As Gajeel watched her work, he shifted his body closer so he could lay his head on her shoulder, allowing him to continue watching while also taking in her scent. He was surprised, though, when his simple movement actually managed to distract her, considering how difficult it was to pull her away earlier when he had literally laid atop her, something this simple shouldn't have distracted her unless she wasn't completely focused.

"Gajeel? When did you get back?" She asked curiously, obviously very confused, after turning to face her partner.

"Hmmm, prolly a half an hour ago, long enough to shower and change, Shrimp." Gajeel answered, keeping his eyes on the notepad as he scanned over the work she had completed thus far. From his experience watching her study runes with Freed, it looked like she was close to finishing, thus explaining better why she was suddenly so easily distracted. "Don't mind me, just finish up so we can get some sleep."

"Hmmm, you forced us to take a nap earlier, how are you so tired?" Levy asked while returning to her work.

"I did just fight with Salamander for the last two hours, kinda wore me out, ya know."

"Hmmm, it's been that long already? Lucy just left about an hour ago, then. How'd talking to Natsu go?" She distractedly asked, only giving her partner half of her attention at that point.

"Eh, good enough, I guess. We'll see what he does with your advice. I'm sure after this damn mission they'll lock themselves in a room and won't come out for quite sometime; and if they don't I'm sure Mira will do it for them. How 'bout Bunny Girl? Talk some sense into her?"

"I don't think she's in denial anymore. Though apparently you might have interrupted something when you went and got Natsu; she came running in here freaking out again. As much as I love Lu-chan, she's definitely a hand full when she's like that."

"Gi Hee, I figured that much considering how pissed off that idiot was, but I'm sure he'll make up for the bad timing. Just hope we got all their drama shit taken care of so we can get back to focusing on the mission." Gajeel said as he himself began losing focus on Levy's work and instead drew his attention to the blue head of hair he found he loved to play with. Turning onto his side, Gajeel moved to prop his head on one hand, while letting the other move to play with a few strands of hair that had fallen from the girl's ponytail.

Levy hummed softly while letting her body lean into his, giving him more access to her locks as he moved to untie the ribbon holding her hair back. Her hair had grown a few inches longer in the months since they returned from Tenrou; he definitely liked the extra length to play with and hoped she continued to allow him this pleasure when the mission was completed. Then again, he hoped she would allow him to continue doing a lot of things, while possibly letting him do a little more. Now that he was aware of Mira's matchmaking attempt, he couldn't help but look back at a lot of his interactions with the script mage and see that it very well might be possible that Levy returned his feelings. He didn't want to get his hopes up too much, but figured it couldn't hurt to test the waters a bit and see if he could get any more definite clues.

The fact that Lucy had told Natsu something that she didn't want him to know had also given him a bit of a boost in confidence. Despite the fact that he very nearly tried to kill the blonde mage, he knew she felt no ill feelings towards him for it, so she wouldn't hold out on giving him information to hurt him. He knew that if she knew something about her friend's opinion of him, she wouldn't tell him only because it wasn't her place to. He'd rather hear it straight from the source, anyway. With all the little things he was starting to put together, though, he figured it was safe to take the advice Levy had given to the other couple and just go with the flow, and follow his instincts.

"Ah ha!" Levy shouted, drawing the dragon slayer out of his dazed musings to return his attention to the small mage and her work.

"Figure it out?" He asked, despite his always bored tone, he was very curious to see what she had done.

"Yep! It was so much simpler than Freed's; I only needed two books for this one instead of a mountain of them!" She exclaimed while turning her notes for him to see, knowing that he actually liked to look over her work.

"Amazing, I still don't understand a thing you've got written there."

Levy giggled at him before realizing that he should probably at least understand what he would need to do if he ever had to rewrite the runes on his own.

"I should probably show you how to change the runes so you can break out of a trap if you ever find yourself in one without me there," she told him.

"Hmmm, yeah, that's a good idea. Show me later, though, I'm too tired to try and learn something new," Gajeel agreed before grabbing the woman's books and notes, and pushing them off the bed; much to the other mage's annoyance.

"Gajeel, don't just toss my books around," Levy whined.

The iron mage only grunted, though, as he moved back to the bluenette and proceed to wrap her up in his arms. He then rolled onto his back, dragging the woman along so she was resting completely on his chest with her head tucked under his chin.

"It's time to sleep now, so stop whining." Gajeel ordered as he turned out the bedside light and went back to his task of absentmindedly playing with the woman's hair.

"Fine," Levy sighed, giving in to his command the moment his hand was in her hair again.

Gajeel couldn't help but peek down at the cute girl lying on his chest, humming in contentment as he ran his fingers through her tresses. He watched her face as he let one hand trace along her upper arm, along her shoulder, and down her spine; smiling when he once again felt her shiver that accompanied the pink tinting on her cheeks. The hand on her head came to a rest with his fingers slightly tangled in some strands of her hair at the base of her neck. He then dragged the other hand back up her spine to her shoulder blade, but detoured to gently run his fingers along her jaw bone from her chin to her ear, then cupping her cheek as he moved his thumb along her cheekbone, over her nose, and over her soft lips before moving his hand back down to rest at her jaw again. The iron mage grinned in triumph when he saw how red Levy's face had gotten, though she didn't try to move away from his extra attentions like she normally would, instead she allowed him to continue cupping her face as his thumb traced over her blushing cheek.

Feeling bold and taken with those instincts he had said he would follow, Gajeel bent until his lips rested on the woman's forehead.

"Night, Levy," he whispered before placing a gentle kiss to her head, smiling to himself when he heard her breath hitch and heart start racing.

"Night, Gajeel," she whispered back while turning her face away enough to hide her bright red blush, not knowing that he had already seen it.

When she didn't pull away anymore than that, and instead seemed to sink even deeper against his body, Gajeel knew that he had a chance. Even if they were supposed to only be pretending, there were definitely things that couldn't be faked so easily, especially by someone as honest as the bookworm falling asleep on him. With that last thought, the iron mage allowed himself to fall into a blissful sleep, feeling more at peace than he ever had before.

* * *

><p>Upon entering his own room that night, Natsu found his partner already curled up under the blankets, sound asleep with a book lying next her. He crept across the room to take the tome and set it on the nightstand before it had a chance to fall on the floor and wake the sleeping mage.<p>

Seeing that Lucy slept on, the fire mage quickly moved to take a hot shower to wash away all the aches and pains he felt from his spar with Gajeel. He could tell that the iron dragon had just as frustrating a day as he had by the force of his punches; Natsu was sure if his rival hadn't gotten that fight in tonight, someone was going to be in for a good beating by the end of the week. Fortunately he and the iron mage knew how to communicate without really saying anything, so he was sure Gajeel had figured out what it was Lucy didn't want him to know.

When Natsu was finally ready to climb into bed, he crawled under the covers as quietly as he could so as not to wake the blonde girl, something he had plenty of experience in doing. As he moved to wrap an arm around her, though, Lucy woke and rolled over to face the shocked man.

"Natsu?" Lucy said sleepily as she blinked up at his face, before burrowing in closer to the man's bare chest, surprising him even more. "How did it go with Gajeel?"

"Heehee," Natsu grinned after overcoming his shock, pulling the woman in tight as he answered, "I kicked his ass, of course."

"Is that so?" The blonde giggled at her partner's ego.

"Yeah, though I guess to be fair he seemed pretty distracted, and frustrated. The few punches he landed hurt like hell, so I think he's feeling a lot of stress being so close to Levy all the time." He admitted; voice muffled as he buried his face in the blonde's hair.

"Hmmm," Lucy hummed in acknowledgement, "from what Levy told me happened to them today, that definitely doesn't surprise me. Levy's feeling pretty frustrated, too, so at least he's not alone."

Natsu chuckled at that before telling her about Gajeel essentially admitting his feeling for the small bookworm.

"Well, hopefully they won't be frustrated for long, I kinda told Gajeel that we all know he likes Levy, and that Mira sent her on the mission with us in hopes they'd get together."

"You didn't say anything about Levy's feelings, did you?" The blonde asked as she turned her face up to glare at her partner.

"Don't worry about that, I didn't say anything. Though, he did ask if I knew anything about her, but I told him you said I couldn't tell him." Natsu reassured her, "But he's pretty perceptive and probably could guess from my refusing to give him information, and the fact that Mira set this up, that Levy likes him. So if he's smart he'll start working up to ask her out."

"Well, I guess that's okay then," Lucy agreed before snuggling back into the dragon slayer's warm embrace. "It'd be nice if those two can find happiness together."

"Um-hmmm," the salamander hummed his own agreement as he nuzzled the girl's hair again.

As they descended into a comfortable silence again, Natsu let his free hand roam over the woman's body, gently running it along her side, brushing his fingertips down her arm, trailing back up only to sweep down her back. Each movement was met with either a shiver or a hum of contentment from Lucy, making Natsu feel a little bolder with every stroke of the hand. As his hand made its way back up her body, he moved it to her face to trail down her jaw to her chin, gently tilting her chin so he could look at her face.

Her features were so soft, so gentle, as he gazed down at his partner as she looked back with half lidded eyes, he couldn't help himself as he slowly leaned his face closer to her own and pressed his lips to her temple. When she gasped in surprise but didn't pull away, he moved to place another kiss on her cheek bone. By that point he could tell she was anticipating his next move as her delicate hands dug lightly into his chest; he was sure if he had a shirt on her hands would be using it to pull him closer.

Since the blonde mage didn't seem to be fighting him, Natsu decided to play around a little, moving further from her mouth, this time, to kiss Lucy just below the ear. He grinned as he realized she liked that one more when he just barely heard a stifled moan come from her; so he began to trail more kisses down her neck, teasing her in hopes she'd let the sound out completely.

When he approached her collar bone without her making any louder sound, he forced her to roll onto her back, following her movement so he leaned over her body. With this move he let his trail of kisses pass across the top of her chest to the opposite collar bone, where he continued to let his instincts guide him, just as Levy advised, and nipped the hard ridge. He was rewarded with a squeak and a shaky breath that time, but still not exactly what he was looking for, so he once again began moving back up the opposite side of her neck, nipping every so often between kisses. He could tell he was getting close to his goal as Lucy shuddered beneath him and moved her hands to his hair.

As he reached her other ear, he moved closer to her, pushing his thigh between her legs, and gently sucked on her earlobe, alternating between biting and licking the appendage. All of his teasing paid off, though, as he finally heard the woman let out a low moan. As soon as the sound escaped her lips, he moved fast and swallowed it up by claiming her lips, a grin still on his face as he finally got to repeat what they had done in the garden. This time, though, was different; this time was one hundred times more satisfying because now it was wanted, needed, by the two of them only for their personal gratification and enjoyment.

Natsu allowed himself to press against Lucy more, drawing more sounds from her as their bodies molded together in their embrace. He noted in the back of his mind that his hand had invited itself under her top again, as he could feel the smooth skin of her stomach and ridges of her ribcage. His other hand was fisted in the blonde's hair, holding her close in case she tried to pull away.

After a few minutes of passionately kissing, the fire dragon moved away so the other mage could breathe, but he didn't go far as he went back to laving her neck with attention, keeping her from thinking about their activities any more than she needed to. Unknown to him, though, she had no intentions of stopping him, she had decided to listen to Levy and follow wherever her heart took her. So, as the slayer continued his ministrations to Lucy's neck and collar, the spirit mage just held him close while moaning in bliss.

Despite how badly both mages wanted to continue, Natsu was still feeling run down after his fight, and Lucy was still quite exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster of the day. So, knowing that they couldn't go any farther, Natsu slowed down his treatment and moved to place a few more slow and gentle kisses to the blonde's lips, leaning his forehead against hers when he finally stopped.

"Luce…" the pink haired teen whispered to the girl, his voice rough from their passion. "I could do this with you forever, if you'd let me."

Lucy just looked up at Natsu wide-eyed as she listened to his confession, feeling speechless at the raw emotion she saw on his face and the seriousness of his tone. Her silence and surprised face, unfortunately, gave the man atop her the wrong impression as he began to worry that she might freak out on him again.

"Lucy, you're my best friend," Natsu rushed to explain, letting his words come faster as he panicked, "and the most important person in the guild to me, and I don't want to lose you, and I really, really like you, but if you don't want this then I'll back off, but just don't hate me, Lucy!"

To the dragon slayer's surprise the girl just giggled in response, smiling brightly at his stunned face as she moved her hands to cup his cheeks.

"Luce?" Natsu began to ask, confused by her actions, but was stopped from saying any more when the woman lying beneath him leaned up to lightly brush her lips over his own in a gentle kiss. It was all the answer he needed as he pulled away to grin down at his teammate before crushing the girl in a hug.

"Natsu!" Lucy rasped out, "Can't breathe!"

"Sorry," he said as he loosened his grip and rolled over so they were lying on their sides again. Brushing a stray strand of blonde hair from the girl's face, Natsu continued to smile as if he had just won the biggest battle of his life. "So, Luce, does this mean….?"

She once again giggled as the salamander trailed off before having to say anything more, nodding as she knew what he was asking.

"Well, it looks like Mira will be getting at least half of what she wanted out of this mission!"

"Wait a minute! You mean she really was setting us up, too?" Natsu asked in disbelief.

"You seriously didn't get that! You've known her for years; you should know she loves playing matchmaker!" Lucy hollered at the oblivious boy before realizing exactly who it was she was talking to. "Then again, you are a dense idiot, Natsu."

"Hey, I did at least figure this out! Give me some credit!" The fire dragon argued.

"That took a miracle in the form of a rune trap, if it hadn't been for that I doubt you'd ever figure it out!"

"I would have, eventually! I knew I liked you before… as I told Gajeel at dinner; I just didn't know how much." Natsu said, sounding quite sheepish as he admitted to the last part.

"Alright, I'm sorry. Anyway, it's not fair for me to criticize you, I needed that trap to figure all of this out, too; plus Levy's bluntness helped earlier."

"Levy… blunt… I think she's spending too much time with Gajeel." The fire mage said in amusement, making his best friend turned girlfriend laugh at the truth in his words.

"Well, we should probably get used to that, because like hell I'm letting us go back to Mira as the only couple!" Lucy exclaimed, before giving her partner a rather devious grin as she remembered her conversation with the short script mage earlier. "By the way, Natsu, about Mira; Levy and I were thinking…"

Natsu just raised an eyebrow at the rather cruel nature that can be found in women as he listened to the girls' rough plan. In the end, he and Lucy ended up staying awake until 2 am plotting the perfect revenge; he was more then happy to help the second he heard Laxus might be involved. He couldn't wait for the mission to end.

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><p><strong>To be honest, this whole story actually developed out of the idea of getting revenge on Mira for her matchmaking attempts. I had been thinking of how it could come about that a couple, or two, that were victims of her attempts finally form a plan to get back at her. Then it just expanded from there into this wonderful GaLe NaLu story. But don't worry, you'll find out next chapter that it's not just Mira and Laxus that need to worry. *insert evil laugh here***


	8. Chapter 8

**Back to the GaLe fun! BTW, Gruvia fans will find a hint of hope in this chapter, heehee.  
><strong>

**So, as I was rewriting the upcoming chapters, I figured I'd ask some of my readers for their opinion on something I'm going back and forth on. I'm trying to decide if I want to add a NaLu citrus (not a full on lemon, I think I have enough stories out there with one, lol), I already have a GaLe citrus chapter (I'll warn you now, it's pretty explicit), but I'm iffy on the NaLu one at the moment (have an idea, just trying to decide if I want to incorporate it or not). Anyway, I figured I'd give you the option, add the NaLu and keep GaLe as just a single lime (not full lemon), or focus entirely on GaLe and give you an extra GaLe lemon later on. Or are you all selfish readers with dirty minds and want all of the above plus more, lol. Anyway, let me know through your reviews and I'll surprise you with my decision.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they all belong to Hiro Mashima. (Speaking of which, his motion sickness thing really did ruin part of my humor in chapter 10... so we will pretend Gajeel does not have motion sickness too).**

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><p>When Levy awoke in the morning, she giggled at the sight of Gajeel spread out across the bed on his stomach, snoring peacefully as he slept on. Despite his rather haphazard and deep sleep, she noted he still kept one arm draped over his bed partner, as well as a leg, and didn't seem to be moving them anytime soon. The small woman figured he was exhausted after his small fight with Natsu the night before; that coupled with everything they had endured on their first full day at the resort must have taken their toll on his body and mind.<p>

With that thought, Levy figured it would be okay to let her partner take the morning to rest, and she would indulge in some reading since the man next to her would probably wake up the second she tried to move out of the bed. So the bluenette took great care in easing herself out of his hold enough to reach the book she had on her nightstand, then moving so she could sit up in bed with Gajeel's arm resting across her legs. Once she was comfortable she checked to see that the dragon was still sleeping and hadn't seemed to move as she rearranged herself.

Quickly immersing herself in her book, Levy let the morning drift by until a few hours later she felt Gajeel finally begin to stir next to her. She could tell that he was either trying to feign sleep so they would stay in bed longer, or to actually go back to sleep for the same reason; if not for his hand on her thigh lightly brushing her bare skin, she probably wouldn't have even noticed.

"Morning, Gajeel," Levy airily said to the man, who merely grunted before turning his body to face her. She glanced down at the scowling dragon as he pushed his body closer to hers and let his head fall on her lap.

"How long you been up, Shrimp?" Gajeel asked, voice hoarse from sleep, as he nestled against her bare thighs.

"Ummm," the bluenette began as she glanced at the clock, "I've been up for about three hours now. I figured you were still tired from yesterday, so I let you sleep."

"Hmmm," was the iron mage's sleepy response, which she translated as "Thanks, Shrimp."

"I'm guessing Lucy and Natsu are still sleeping, too, since nobody's come to find us yet. You two must have really done a number on each other last night."

Again, Gajeel only grunted back at her, falling back to sleep on his new pillow. Levy just sighed in acceptance as she let her hand fall to his head and play with his messy, black hair. Apparently the iron dragon liked having his hair played with as much as Levy did, because he immediately tightened his hold around her thighs while rubbing his face against the bare leg it was against and humming in contentment. The short bluenette giggled at his reaction before going back to her book, keeping her hand idly running through his long mane as she read. It wasn't long before she heard him begin snoring again.

When Gajeel finally woke again, only an hour had passed, but he finally felt ready to start the day. Levy seemed to have become completely absorbed in her book again as he slept, and he could tell she hadn't noticed he was awake like she had before. From where he was positioned on the woman's lap, Gajeel could just barely make out her face from beneath the book; watching as she bit her lip while intently reading her novel.

He observed her for a moment before he began to feel mischievous, and slowly moved his body to partially cover her own so that he could creep up until his head could pop out between the woman and the book. As soon as he was in position, he launched himself forward and put himself face to face with the very surprised and blushing Levy. He couldn't help but grin wildly at her, resting his forehead on her own, as he let his heavy body completely envelope her, the quickly forgotten novel falling from her hand onto the floor.

"Morning, Levy." He whispered, just barely holding back his laugh at her shocked features.

"Morning," the girl squeaked in response.

Gajeel let himself chuckle as he moved to wrap his arms around her back and bury his face into her neck again. He kept himself hyper-aware of every tiny reaction he got from her as he once again allowed his lips to brush along the skin of her neck until he reached her ear, rejoicing inside with every small shiver he felt in her tiny frame.

"Hungry?" The iron dragon asked quietly, not moving away after so that he could listen to every breath leaving her lips.

"Uh-huh," was the somewhat dazed answer he received, prompting him to test the boundaries a little more as he lightly pressed his lips just below her ear before pulling away completely to take in her hazy brown eyes, lips slightly parted in a silent gasp.

He wanted to kiss her right then and there, but didn't want to go so far just yet and risk scaring her. On top of that, there was still their past to consider, and he still felt immense guilt over what he had done to her. He was sure that would never go away, but that weight on his shoulders certainly made him question whether or not he really deserved to have her. She was pure light, and he had always walked that fine line between the light and the darkness; even if he was on her side now, who's to say that one good push wouldn't send him back to who he was before Fairy Tail.

His silence and contemplative look must have worried his partner, as he was brought out of his internal struggle by a gentle hand on his cheek. Gajeel focused again on the concerned caramel eyes belonging to the only person he cared for more than himself, and realized that as long as she stayed by his side, nothing could send him into the darkness again.

"Gajeel?" Levy asked softly when she saw his attention come back to her.

The large man just shook his head, as if clearing the negative thoughts from his mind, and smiled gently at her. He leaned in again, just enough to let their noses touch before asking her about one of his thoughts.

"You still promise not to leave my side, Shrimp?"

Levy was surprised by the question; the way he asked it almost seemed desperate, as if he was truly afraid that she would leave him. The last time he had said something like that to her, he had just saved her life again, and then it was more of a command then a request. She had promised him then, but afterwards figured that he was only talking about while they were on the island, so that he could keep an eye on her. Asking her about it like this, though, confused her. She had no idea where it had come from, but she at least could tell he needed to hear her answer more than anything.

Smiling softly at the iron dragon, she let the fingers still resting on his cheek run over the rough skin tenderly, trying to reassure him as much as she could. He was showing her a side that seemed incredibly fragile, vulnerable, and she doubted she'd ever see it again. She knew exactly how to answer his question so that it would put whatever concerns he had to rest.

"Only if you promise me the same," came her soft reply, stunning the man for a moment before a grin spread across his features and every shadow of fear that haunted his red eyes vanished. A moment later, Levy found herself crushed in a hug from the dragon, and couldn't help but wonder if this is what he was like when he found Lily. He wasn't crying at the moment like he had been then, but she could tell that he was happier than she'd ever seen him before.

"Alright, Gajeel, can we go eat now?" Levy choked out, trying to get at least some breathing room from the large man. "I'm hungry, and I'm going to need the energy if you plan on crushing me in any more hugs."

"Right, sorry," Gajeel said quickly as he pulled away and jumped off the bed, obviously still incredibly excited to have gotten the answer he did.

With that the two quickly got dressed and headed out to lunch; Gajeel still grinning like a maniac and Levy feeling quite content, if not still somewhat confused over her partner's behavior. She wasn't going to question it, though, since she liked seeing this man happy; she could tell that he didn't have much true joy in his life before Fairy Tail. Obviously his life since Metallicana left was full of loneliness, and the only thing he knew was fighting, but now he could say he had friends, family even. No matter how cold he was to the others, she knew he still cared for the guild.

'_I'm glad I can be someone who could give him that happiness,' _she thought as she reached for his hand in the hallway, lacing their fingers together as she smiled up at him. _'Though I do wonder what brought all that on.'_

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><p>As Levy and Gajeel reached the dining room, they were surprised to see a very happy Natsu and Lucy already eating lunch in there. The blue haired mage quickly lead the way to the couple's table to join them for their meal, and hopefully find out if they had followed her advice at all.<p>

"LEVY!" Lucy hollered before jumping up to wrap the girl in a hug, telling the small woman all she needed to know about her friends' night.

"I'm guessing you had a good night, Lu-chan," Levy whispered teasingly as she hugged her friend back, giggling at the tell-tale blush that settled on the blonde's cheeks.

Lucy could only smile before nodding, pulling the shorter girl into the seat next to her as she mouthed to her, "We'll talk later."

Once everyone was settled and eating, Lucy decided to start putting her own plan to get the other two mages together in action.

"So, I was thinking we should go into town today," the blonde began, "maybe meet up with the others and see if they have any more news."

"Hmmm, yeah, I think that's definitely a good idea, plus it'll give us a chance to really discuss what we need to do from here on out." Levy agreed, looking at Gajeel as he gave a short nod of his own agreement. "Plus I want to show Gajeel something about runes, and I think it would be good if you two learned it, too."

Lucy quickly nodded in understanding, not elaborating on the topic in case someone was listening and began questioning what runes they could be discussing.

"So, it's decided then, we'll go wander the city for a bit," the spirit mage said instead, while looking at her watch to see the others would be at their meeting spot in about an hour. "We should get going pretty soon so we have enough time to do what we want."

With everyone's agreement, lunch was finished quickly with talk moving to their plans for after the mission, leaving the four mages enough time to go back to their rooms to grab anything they needed before heading out of the resort for the afternoon.

* * *

><p>The small group of wizards found themselves at an open air ice cream shop on the outskirts of the city, the ideal place Erza had picked should they want to meet up during the mission. Natsu and Gajeel settled themselves at a table while the girls quickly ran to order a treat for themselves; giving them a chance to catch up on how the night before had gone.<p>

"So, you and Bunny Girl, huh?" Gajeel asked the pink haired man sitting across from him while watching Levy giggle at something her friend had said. "Gotta say; I wasn't expecting you to work so fast there, Salamandar."

"Yep, worked out a lot better than I thought it would," Natsu grinned at his rival, glancing at the girls, too, before turning back to the other man. "How 'bout you and Levy?"

"I would like to know about that, too." A deep voice came from above the iron mage as Lily landed on his partner's head, leaning down to grin cheekily at the man.

"Lily!" Gajeel yelled in happiness, temporarily ignoring their curiosity to pull his cat into a tight hug.

"Well, you're in a good mood," Lily pointed out while patting a paw against his friend's face, "so I'm guessing things are going well for you, then."

"Yeah," the black haired dragon finally admitted, releasing the black cat so he could sit on the table. "Things are looking good."

Natsu and Lily couldn't help but smile as they noted the hint of hope in the man's voice, but refrained from saying anymore as Levy and Lucy finally made their way to the table, Happy flying along with them as he had gone to greet the blonde mage first.

"Lily!" The bluenette greeted the newcomer, patting his head as she sat next to Gajeel with a rather large chocolate ice cream cone in hand. "Where are the others?"

"They should be coming any minute, we flew ahead to see if you guys showed up today." Lily explained while moving to settle himself in the girl's lap.

"Hmmm, we had some things to discuss with you all, plus I need to teach these guys how to rewrite runes so they can get out of any traps they- Hey!" The script mage told him before crying out in annoyance as Gajeel leaned over to steal a bite of her ice cream, taking a good amount right off the top. Gajeel just grinned at her while licking the ice cream from his lips, trying not to laugh at her cute pout.

"You already came across some?" Lily asked, deciding to ignore his partner's playfulness for the moment so they could focus on the mission. After getting a quick nod from the girl, he continued. "So, what did you have to do to get out then?"

"Gi hee," Gajeel chuckled while grinning at the couple across from them, "You should ask the lovebirds over there that."

Lucy only glared at the large man while Natsu called him a teddy bear under his breath, getting his foot stomped on by his rival as a result. Lily could only chuckle as he watched the interaction of the four mages; obviously a lot had happened in a very short amount of time for the couples.

"So, Natsu and Lucy already, eh?" Gray's voice suddenly rang out; prompting the group to turn and see their other teammates had arrived in time to hear the exchange.

"Oi! You knew about this, too!" Natsu cried out at the ice mage, moving to get up and punch the man before Lucy pulled him back.

"Wait a minute, Natsu," the blonde said, leaning in to whisper in his ear while keeping a conspiratorial smile on her face as she watched Gray take a seat next to Gajeel.

"Hey! What the hell are you two plotting?" The already half naked man quickly asked, not liking the fact that with every passing moment, Natsu's grin became wider and decidedly more sadistic.

"Gi hee, I love it!" Gajeel chuckled, having heard most of what Lucy was whispering, and moved to relay Lucy's newest addition to their plan to Levy, who couldn't contain her giggles as she glanced around to the now terrified ice make mage.

"Oi! Oi! What about Erza? She's a part of this, too!" Gray cried out while pointing at the silent Titania who had seated herself at the head of the table, Wendy having taken the spot next to Natsu.

The two couples stopped their conspiring long enough to look at the red head who merely glared at them, causing all four mages to quickly shake their heads and move away from the woman.

"We would never do anything to Erza!" Lucy said as innocently as possible; her hands held in front of her as if to block any incoming attacks. "If she is involved in any way, I'm sure she had only the most honorable reasons for it."

Erza's face softened as she took in the sight of Lucy and Natsu sitting together, no longer as best friends but instead as a true couple, and nodded at her friends.

"Of course I would never do anything that could possibly bring harm to either of you," the armor mage said sweetly. "I'm glad you understand that, Lucy."

Lucy just laughed nervously while inching closer to the fire mage next to her, glad when he wrapped an arm around her waist protectively.

"Now then," Erza continued, "We will discuss what you have found for the mission so far, then I wish to speak to you in private, Natsu."

Natsu immediately began sweating as he felt his childhood friend's aura weigh down on him, and only him, in warning. He quickly nodded before letting Levy take the lead on explaining the runes, trying to listen to her explanation but dreading what Erza may do to him later.

Their meeting ended up being very short, since the other mages had not come across any new information either, and the only thing needing to be done was a quick lesson from Levy on how to rewrite the runes. The small script mage had wanted the other three mages to hear the lesson, as well, in case they were called in later and found themselves trapped, or needing to free one of them. As soon as they were done talking about business, Erza quickly got up and grabbed Natsu by the scarf, dragging him around to the back of the building that held the ice cream shop.

Everyone left at the table watched the building quietly, only Gajeel and Wendy able to actually hear what Erza was talking to the other dragon slayer about. They all figured it wasn't pretty as the iron mage winced dramatically at points while crossing his legs with a grimace. When the two mages returned, Natsu was deathly pale as he followed the older mage, his figure hunched as he held a hand to his groin, flinching anytime the woman looked back at him. Gray and Gajeel immediately felt pity for the man who obviously was lectured on what would happen to him should anything happen to Lucy.

"Well then, if we're done here…" the red head began once they reached the table again and turned to Lucy. "I am very happy for you, Lucy. I have warned him of the repercussions should he do anything to hurt you, so do not hesitate coming to me with any problems so that I may punish him as I see fit."

"Uh-huh, thanks, Erza" Lucy said with a forced smile, a drop of sweat forming on her forehead as she took in the sight of her new boyfriend who had slumped down against her seeking comfort. Taking pity on the man, she moved to run her hand through his hair, eliciting a whimper from the boy before he collapsed into her lap.

With one last nod at the new couple, Erza quickly turned to leave; Gray and Wendy following close behind, waving back at the other group as they walked away. Lily and Happy stayed behind for a bit to spend time with their respective dragon slayers, giving Happy a chance to tease the four mages non-stop, though it wasn't as effective as it normally would be since he was actually right for a change.

"You lllllllllllliiiiike him!" Happy kept chirping to Lucy as she continued to comfort the fire mage in her lap, flying around her head to add to the annoying effect.

"Of course I like him, you dumb cat!" Lucy yelled, grabbing the cat's tail as he flew by and pulling him onto her lap with Natsu. "Now stop flying around like that."

"Wahhh! Natsu! Lucy's being mean!"

"Not now, Happy… Just… Not now." Natsu groaned in reply, curling up into a fetal position as memories of Erza's more severe punishments were beginning to look like a ray of sunshine compared to the threats he just received.

"Poor Natsu," Levy mumbled, glancing at Gajeel as he nodded in agreement, looking almost as pale as his rival.

"Even though I doubt he'd ever do anything to ask for that punishment," the iron mage grumbled, "there are just some things you don't threaten."

The small script mage couldn't help but pity her partner as she moved to rub his back while he leaned against her; seeking comfort from the images in his own mind of what Erza could be capable of. Levy shared a glance with the blonde across from her who seemed to have a mixture of amusement and pity on her own face as they watched the men whimper.

"Well," Lucy began, hoping to lift the boys' spirits by changing the topic of conversation, "At least we have a plan to get back at Gray for helping."

"Umm-hmm," Levy hummed in agreement, still rubbing Gajeel's back while he chuckled weakly, "and I'm sure Juvia will be more than happy to help with that."

Lily, still sitting in Levy's lap, looked between the two women as they grinned at each other; an evil glint shining in their eyes as they silently plotted their newest plan. The black cat shook his head at their antics, looking up at the bluenette with a look of utmost seriousness.

"I'm starting to think you're truly evil, Levy," he mused, earning an innocent giggle from the girl. "Either that, or you're spending too much time with Gajeel."

"Gi hee!"

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><p><strong>So a little reminder for my pseudo poll on upcoming chapters. Do you want:<strong>

**A) NaLu and GaLe limes (not full on lemons)**

**B) Just the GaLe, lime first, lemon later**

**C) All of the above because we're all just a bunch of perverts (I know I'm not one to talk, I _am_ the one writing them, lol)**

**So let me know in your reviews!**

**Oh, and next chapter's short (and by short, I mean super short), but OMG much sugar and sweetness in there you will all have cavities at the end. You will also be giggling like schoolgirls, even the guys. It's my favorite chapter and was originally going to end this chapter, but I felt it would do better as a stand alone chapter despite it's length.  
><strong>


	9. Realization

**Since I'm getting so many wonderful responses from fellow perverts, lol, I figured I'd put up chapter 9 early. As I said, this is incredibly short, almost an aside, but for whatever reason I really felt it needed to be done as a stand alone chapter for dramatic purposes. I'm even giving this chapter it's own title, unlike all the previous ones.**

**So, again, warning, SUPER condensed fluff to follow... but it'll be worth it since we're only about 3-4 chapters away from citrusy goodness.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Fairy Tail or the characters, they were created by Hiro Mashima.**

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><p>As it neared dusk on their second day, Gajeel and Levy found themselves walking alongside a river just outside of Balsam, taking in the peaceful scenery at the end of another day. Lucy and Natsu had quickly disappeared after they met up with their guild mates; they didn't even say where they were headed, just ran off as soon as the Exceeds had gone back to their own hotel. The remaining couple figured that they were being set up, but neither voiced their suspicions to the other, just took advantage of the time alone.<p>

When the sun was beginning to set, Gajeel spotted a small slope that gave a good view of the river as well as the sunset, and pulled Levy by the hand to lie down in the soft grass. As the two lay side by side, watching the show of colors in the sky, the bluenette couldn't help but glance curiously at the strangely peaceful dragon slayer beside her.

"What?" He asked after peeking at her from the corner of his eye.

"Hmmm, you're really in a good mood today." Levy mused to him, still watching him as she spoke.

Gajeel only shrugged indifferently before moving to brush his hand along hers, hiding a grin as he noticed her shiver at the contact.

"I guess I am," he finally answered while lacing their hands together and lifting them enough to watch as he played with her fingers.

The solid script mage quickly turned her sight back to the rapidly darkening sky in the hopes of hiding her blush, and try to find her voice to speak once more.

"What were you thinking about this morning?" Levy finally asked after a few moments of silence, knowing she wouldn't have to elaborate on what she was asking about.

With another quick glance at the girl, the iron mage decided to answer her, knowing that if he was ever going to get what he wanted he'd have to be open with her, or at least more open than he was with everyone else.

"I was thinking about the past." He began, continuing when Levy once again turned to look at him. "Regrets, guilt, all the things I wish I could go back and change; some things more than others."

He emphasized his last comment by squeezing her hand and turning to meet her eyes with his. Gajeel took in her soft, contemplative features as she thought over what he said, before being surprised when she removed her hand from his grip. The iron dragon thought that he had made a mistake; bringing up their past, no matter how subtle, could have sent her running as she remembered all the pain he put her through.

To his further surprise, though, she didn't run away; instead she moved closer to him, wrapping an arm around his waist as she laid her head over his rapidly beating heart. He was so in shock, so caught off guard, that he didn't know how to act and just stared at the top of her head with a dumbfounded expression, his arms slightly raised as if they were trying to decide whether or not it was safe to touch her. She didn't wait for him to respond, though, before speaking again.

"Do you ever wonder what would have happened if we didn't experience what we did; if you never came to have those regrets?" Levy mused, turning her face up to his to smile gently at him as he finally relaxed and let his arms wrap around her.

Gajeel had honestly never thought about where he would be if he hadn't attacked her and provoked a guild war with Fairy Tail.

'_If I hadn't hurt you, I'd still be at Phantom Lord,' _he thought to himself, _'I wouldn't be laying here with you, I wouldn't have Lily; I'd have been alone in the dark.'_

As he realized what she was telling him, Gajeel could only hold her tighter, pulling her up so he could lean his cheek against the top of her head to show her he understood. Nothing more needed to be said between them as silence once again overtook them. As Levy hummed in contentment while he ran a hand through her blue locks, the iron dragon came to realize exactly what he felt for the girl. Even if it made him soft, or look like a sap, he didn't care because he could say he was truly happy with where life had led him.

The feelings he held for the small bluenette wrapped up in his embrace weren't a fleeting attraction, they weren't a simple crush; they weren't emotions that would fade with time. For the first time, Gajeel Redfox could finally admit it to himself; exactly how far he had fallen. For the first time he could say it….

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><p>He was in love.<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10! YAY! So all I can say about this chapter is... poor Gajeel... and we're pretending he doesn't have motion sickness because Natsu's supposed to be special in his own pathetic little way. Oh and, I can't help but feel that I have Lucy channeling Rangiku from Bleach in this chapter a bit... I don't know how it happened, but I find it too humorous at the moment to want to change it.  
><strong>

**As for the poll, I had a feeling it'd go the way it is, though I was surprised by a few people that preferred the focus staying on GaLe... so... we'll see what I decide. I'm still having a hard time getting past chapter 13, but once I get chapter 14 done I know I'll be over the hump... it's kinda the transition chapter into the action so it's proving to be more difficult than I had imagined it to be. But, in the meantime, enjoy the sexual tension of this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Hiro Mashima. (BTW, who else hopes Elfman beats the shit out of Bacchus? Or if he doesn't, then who wants to see Laxus electrocute the guy for trying to make a move on Mira... or Lisanna if you prefer... personally I say Mira, lol)**

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><p>The next morning, the rising sun shone down on a sleeping pair nestled together on a hill by the river running through Balsam. When the bright rays broke over the horizon, they gently drew the dark haired man from his slumber, causing the iron dragon slayer to grumble at the early wake up before he realized where it was he was sleeping. As Gajeel lay on his back, shielding his eyes with one hand, he turned his head to see Levy's back as she slept turned away from him, his bicep used as a pillow to keep the girl's head from the cold ground.<p>

Memories of the night before flooded his mind as he rolled over to pull the girl into his chest, nuzzling her shoulder as he thought about his realization. He was utterly, completely, unabashedly in love with the bluenette sleeping peacefully in his arms. He was finally willing to admit it to himself that he was greatly underestimating the depths of his feelings for her before. It took her show of understanding and forgiveness to finally let him see what he had thought was impossible for him. Gajeel, the iron dragon, was a cold-hearted, uncaring bastard who willing bolted a kind and beautiful woman to a tree just to piss off another guild. He could never love anybody, much less the very woman he had assaulted. Yet here he was clinging to her as if his very life depended on it, willing to protect her with his life if he needed to, just so he could see her happy.

Pulling himself out of his internal musings, Gajeel picked himself up slightly so he could peek at Levy's sleeping face, moving his free hand to gently sweep some stray hairs away. He hated the thought of having to wake her and ruin this peaceful moment, but he knew that they had to get back to the resort before their partners began to worry; plus they could always go back to sleep once there.

"Oi, Levy," he whispered to the girl after leaning his face in to brush his nose against her jaw, nudging her lightly as he tried to wake her.

The sunlight in her eyes, along with the voice in her ear, was enough to partially rouse Levy from her sleep. She let out a light groan before turning groggy eyes up to peer at her friend's face hovering above her own. The bookworm was far too tired to blush at the proximity, instead blinking at the man before shutting her eyes again and rolling over to burrow against his chest.

"Don't go back to sleep on me, Shrimp, we gotta get back to the hotel," he said while rubbing his hand over her arm to try and wake her again.

"Hmmm, Gajeel?" Levy finally responded, looking at the man with a mocking expression. "We're already at the hotel, silly."

The dragon slayer couldn't help but chuckle at her obvious confusion, nudging her again with his nose in order to keep her awake.

"Look around you, does this look like our room?"

Levy just looked at the man again before finally taking in the feel of grass underneath her, the bright early morning sun on her face, and the sounds of the river and birds around them.

"Oh my God! We fell asleep out here!" She suddenly exclaimed while sitting up, looking around completely shocked before turning to look at the chuckling man beside her as he leaned back on his hands, grinning at her in amusement.

"Took ya long enough, Shrimp." Gajeel teased the girl, thoroughly enjoying her reaction.

"Shut up."

"Alright, alright," the dragon slayer conceded, picking himself up from the ground to brush off the dirt and grass that clung to him, "let's get back before the others send out a search party for us."

Levy nodded before moving to get up, shocked for a moment when Gajeel offered his hand to help, but quickly overcame it with a smile as she took the proffered hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. After cleaning herself up, she couldn't help it as she let out a large yawn, still too tired to really be awake. Gajeel observed the girl's exhausted features and moved to crouch in front of her with an exaggerated sigh.

"Hop on, Shrimp, you can rest while I carry you."

The bookworm blinked at the man in amazement for a moment before taking his out of character offer and climbing onto his back, giggling as she secured a hold around his neck while he locked his arms under her legs.

"Never thought I'd see the day that Gajeel Redfox would be giving a girl a piggyback ride," Levy teased, leaning over his shoulder to grin at the scowling man.

"Oi, first you compare me to a stuffed animal, now a pig," he grumbled half heartedly, actually finding it hard to hold back his smirk as he glanced at the girl.

"Fine, fine," she relented while letting her head fall to rest on his shoulder as he began the trek back to the resort, her nose pressed against his strong neck causing the dragon slayer to shiver at the feel of her breath on him. "We'll call it a dragon-back ride, then. Is that better?"

"Gi hee, I guess I can live with that."

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><p>At lunchtime, Gajeel and Levy once again found themselves making their way to the hotel's restaurant to meet up with their teammates. The couple had immediately gone back to bed that morning once they reached their room, and were surprised to find a note from Lucy slipped under their door when they woke a few hours later, telling them they'd see them at lunch. Once in the dining room, though, Levy found herself tackled to the ground by her blonde best friend who was hugging her and practically in tears from her apparent relief.<p>

"I was so worried when you two didn't make it back last night!" Lucy cried out, strangling the bluenette in her grip as they sat on the floor, ignoring the confused stares of the other resort patrons. "I wanted to go search for you but Natsu said you would be fine, but the later it got, the more I worried. Then I hear your door shut just after dawn and I wanted to go make sure that it was you that went in there, but Natsu said he could smell you guys and that you were fine, but I didn't believe him. And… and… Levy don't you ever scare me like that again!"

Gajeel had sat down next to his fellow dragon slayer to watch the girls on the floor, trying to hold back his amusement at the celestial mage's frantic state, but found it hard as Levy tried to choke out reassurances while her face was smothered by the blonde's generous chest.

"She acts like this now, but I know you two went running off like that on purpose," he mumbled to Natsu, who was staring at his girlfriend with an exhausted expression on his face, obviously not understanding why she had been so worried.

The pink haired dragon slayer merely shrugged before turning his attention away from the girls to smirk at the man next to him.

"Did it work?"

Gajeel snorted in amusement but grinned none-the-less. "We fell asleep by the river, nothing else happened."

"You're grinning though, so something must have happened."

"Epiphany," was all Gajeel said, bringing any further discussion on his relationship to a close as Lucy finally released her captive so they could sit down and eat.

"Alright you two," Lucy began once they were all sat and eating their meals, "I hope you don't have anything planned for the rest of the day."

"No, why?" Levy asked, looking at the other woman quizzically.

"Well, I was thinking that you and I could go spend some time by the pool, while the boys sniff around a bit more."

"Oi, we're not dogs you know," Natsu deadpanned. "And why do you two get to play while we have to work?"

"Because, Natsu," Lucy growled while kicking him under the table with her pointed toe shoe, "I want to talk to Levy-chan for a bit."

"Aye! I'm sorry!" Natsu yelped, rubbing his bruised shin while shuffling back a bit to hopefully be out of her reach.

"So, Levy, are you okay with that?" the blonde sweetly asked the other mage, acting as if she hadn't just assaulted her boyfriend.

"Ummm, I guess that's okay. Gajeel?" She answered, unsure if she wanted to upset her anymore by refusing, while glancing at the iron dragon to get his opinion.

"Whatever," Gajeel shrugged in response, obviously trying to hide his annoyance at being separated from his partner and forced to spend time with his fellow dragon slayer.

"Alright, then that's settled!" Lucy nodded before continuing quietly. "And tonight I saw in the brochure that they're having a 'date night' after dinner; they're showing a movie in the resort's theater. I thought it might be a good idea if we went to see if anything happens during an organized event."

"I think that's a good idea, plus we might be able to meet with some of the staff running things and check them out for suspicious behavior," the bluenette agreed, keeping her own voice low, and looking at her silent partner again to get his shrug of agreement.

Seeing that everyone was on the same page for the rest of the day's events, the group focused on eating their meal, while letting their discussion move to more everyday topics. The whole time Levy couldn't help but glance at Gajeel as he sat in silence, seemingly bored, but she could tell something was bothering him. So when they were done eating, Levy grabbed Gajeel by the hand as she headed back to their room.

"Lu-chan, I'll meet you outside!" The bluenette hollered back at her friend.

"Okay!" Lucy yelled back as she proceeded to drag her own dragon slayer out to the pool area to wait.

As soon as the script mage got them to the room, she turned to the sulking man with her and gave him a quizzical look.

"What's wrong, Gajeel?"

"Nothing," was his quick response.

Levy huffed before crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him. "No, Gajeel, I can tell _something_ is wrong. One minute you were in a great mood, the next you were practically pouting. So what's up?"

The iron mage just returned her glare with a growl before looking away with his lips pursed. "I just wanted to hang out with you today."

"Awww," the bluenette giggled at the defeated man, not stopping even when he returned to glaring at her, "Come on, it's just for a few hours. Plus, we do need to get some work done investigating. This is supposed to be a mission and we haven't really done anything except for decipher some runes. You and Natsu will be better at checking around, your heightened senses can pick up things that Lucy and I can't, and in the meantime we'll defer any suspicion by making it look like we're having a 'girl's day' or something."

"What if something happens to you while we're gone? As you said, this is a mission, what if you two get targeted the second we're not there to protect you?" Gajeel reasoned, though he knew this was an incredibly stupid thing to be fighting over.

"If that's the case, Lucy will have Loke find you two. Anyway, we're not that helpless, Gajeel."

"I know," Gajeel said with a sigh before moving closer to the small woman and enveloping her in a hug. "Just, be careful, 'kay?"

"Okay, okay, we'll stay alert and keep an eye out for trouble." Levy reassured while returning the hug, resting her chin on the tall man's chest to look up at his face with a teasing expression. "Just look forward to the movie tonight, I thought I saw something about it being a really sappy romance."

"Seriously?" The iron dragon scowled down at his partner. "Do I really have to sit through shit like that?"

"Yes you do," she nodded solemnly; "I'm not going to suffer alone through that, Gajeel. Anyway, it's a 'date night' it'd be pretty weird if I didn't show up with my date."

"Suffer? I thought girls' liked that kinda crap?"

"Eh, I prefer books to movies, and with either one I tend to like mystery and horror much more than romance." Levy shrugged in response, causing the man to chuckle as he realized he should have known that would be her answer. "But, anyway, I'd better get changed to meet Lu-chan before she starts wondering where I am."

"Yeah, yeah, get going short stuff." Gajeel said while pushing her towards her bags with a smack on her backside.

"What the hell, Gajeel? Stop hitting my ass already!" Levy yelled while yanking out her bikini with a huff.

"Why? It's funny. Gi Hee" He chuckled as he watched her glare before stomping to the bathroom to change, slamming the door shut to muffle her indignant shout. He continued to laugh silently to himself at her rather cute reaction, sitting himself on the bed to wait for the woman to finish up so they could head down to the pool.

After only a quick couple of minutes the bathroom door flew open again to reveal a still irritated, and more importantly, bikini clad Levy to the iron dragon. Any laughter he still had in him was quickly lost as he seemed to have forgotten how to breathe.

He had seen her in bikinis before, but, not counting the bikini top she wore _that_ night, they were all fairly modest and simple. Now, he couldn't help but be amazed by the breathtaking sight in front of him as he took in the red and black polka dotted string bikini she was clad in. He let his eyes roam over inch after inch of creamy skin that was exposed to him, while also settling on the areas that the fabric clung to like a second skin. Gajeel knew Levy had a very nice backside; that's why he took advantage of any chance he had to touch it, but seeing the swell of muscle peeking out of the tight bikini bottoms had him biting his cheek to try and restrain himself. Something that he was utterly failing at as the small bluenette was like a magnet, drawing him to her before he really could stop himself.

As Levy moved to her bag again to fish out her sarong and wrap it around her waist, she had to try and hide her blush as she felt Gajeel's eyes glued to her form the moment she walked back into the room. With her back to her partner, she was surprised when two strong, metal studded arms suddenly wrapped around her waist, pulling her against a hard chest as she squeaked in surprise.

"This new?" The dragon slayer whispered huskily into her ear, gently plucking at a string on her hip.

"Uhhh, ummm, y-yes," Levy stuttered out quietly, her hands going to his forearms as she tried to relax in the unexpected embrace.

"It's nice," he complimented honestly before nuzzling against her neck again.

"Th-thanks," she once again stuttered, trying to suppress a shiver of delight as the man pulled her in closer. With her mind quickly fogging from the proximity of the large man, she hardly noticed that Gajeel had begun nibbling on her neck.

Gajeel was just barely holding back from throwing the woman on the bed as he felt her body practically turn to jelly in his arms with his ministrations. He couldn't contain his grin as he realized that she was reacting just as she did in the garden, but this time there were no enchanted trees to blame their behavior on. The evidence was definitely looking to be in his favor and he was sorely tempted to just claim the woman for himself that very moment. His restraint nearly broke, too, when he made out a quiet moan from the bluenette in his arms. Fortunately a loud pounding on their door had them breaking apart quickly as they heard their other two teammates shouting for them.

"Oi! Metal brain! What the hell's taking you two so long?" Natsu hollered through the door before the iron dragon flung it open to glare at the grinning man in the hall. Gajeel just barely noticed that his blonde partner was also smiling knowingly at him from her place next to the mage.

Before anything more could be said a flash of blue went speeding by the dark haired man who was gripping the door so tight it looked like it was about to shatter.

"See you two later!" Levy let out in a rush as she grabbed Lucy and dragged the now laughing girl down the hall, leaving the two dragons alone at the door.

"Sorry, did we interrupt something?" Natsu asked innocently, his amusement betrayed by the grin on his face. His answer was a fist planted firmly in his face, sending him flying into the opposite wall of the corridor. Natsu only laughed as he picked himself up from the debris of the destroyed wall and began walking off. "Alright, I get it, touchy subject. At least you can say you've marked her for yourself now."

"Tsh," Gajeel hissed in annoyance as he followed the salamander down the hall after slamming his door shut in his irritation, "Couldn't help myself. Guess its Bunny Girl's turn to deal with a panicking woman."

"Yeah, well, she was already planning on talking to Levy about you anyway, guess they're just going to have more to talk about." Natsu stated casually before glancing up at the nearly murderous dragon walking next to him. "So, you guys official yet, or was that just a case of you losing control?"

"What do you think?"

"Lost control, then," Natsu sighed, "Well, at least I'm sure you have a better idea of what you're looking at with her."

"Gi Hee," Gajeel chuckled as he thought of all the revelations he'd had over the past two and a half days of their mission. "I still don't want to rush things too much, though. Even if she's forgiven me for it, I still can't help but consider our past."

Natsu just nodded in understanding before answering. "I guess it's better to be safe when you have such rough past, but at the rate your going if you don't say something you're just gonna confuse her. I guess it's safe to say this now, but, according to Lucy, the hardest part of this mission for Levy was that she had to remind herself that anything you did wasn't real, just an act. So you might just want to 'fess up to her sooner rather than later so she doesn't go running off with my girlfriend everyday."

The iron dragon snorted in amusement before glancing down at the other dragon. "It's kinda sad that I'm actually taking relationship advice from you, dumbass."

"Well, I think you need it seeing as you're about to attack your girl out of pent up sexual frustration." Natsu teased, earning a growl as Gajeel was reminded about what had been interrupted not long before.

"Shut up! You have no idea what it's like being that close to a girl you are actually aware of liking but knowing you can't have her, you clueless bastard!" Gajeel growled back, slamming his head against the other dragon's.

The two dragon slayers quickly let their tempers get the best of them as they broke into a tug of war, growling at each other while pushing their heads together. They were completely oblivious to the fact that they were standing in the middle of a courtyard, with other hotel occupants watching them with sheer terror on their faces. Every mage in that place recognized the two aggressive first generation dragon slayers, and knew to keep their distance from them. Most mages that knew of their rivalry from the Phantom war were well aware of the damage even a half hearted fight between the two could bring. Fortunately for everyone there, the two were interrupted by an orange haired man dressed in a suit clearing his throat next to them.

"I do believe the ladies wouldn't be too happy if you two went and destroyed the resort," Loke chastised the dragon slayers.

"Loke! What the hell are you doing here?" Natsu yelled at his partner's celestial spirit.

"I'm on standby so I can travel through my gate whenever I feel it's necessary," Loke reminded them.

"Are the girls alright?" Gajeel asked, glaring at the rather relaxed spirit.

"They're fine, just thought it would be best to stop you guys from going berserk. Levy's already freaking out as it is, I don't think you want to add massive property damage into her rather hectic day." The lion spirit informed them, drawing a defeated nod from the iron dragon, before turning back to his master's new boyfriend. "By the way, Natsu, I have a message for you from Aquarius."

"Huh? What does she want?"

"She told me to tell you 'Congratulations, and if you hurt Lucy I'll set you out to sea on a boat before drowning you.'" Leo quoted the water bearer.

Natsu immediately reacted to the idea of being on a boat, getting sick at the thought of the transportation, while nodding enthusiastically at the leader of the zodiac spirits.

"Now then, I shouldn't stay away from Lucy too long, so if you two are done with your melodrama, I'll be going." The spirit said while walking away, a wave sent back to them, before stopping to grin at the black haired dragon slayer over his shoulder. "By the way, Gajeel, good work on Levy's neck, now everyone knows she's taken; but you should really talk to her soon."

"Yeah, yeah," Gajeel muttered back, "just get back to them already."

Loke just laughed at the slightly blushing man as he walked off, vanishing into thin air as he made his way across the courtyard. As soon as the spirit was gone, Gajeel turned to his pink haired teammate who was still lying on the ground with his face turning blue.

"Seriously? You're not even on the fuckin' boat!"

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><p><strong>BTW, just an extra little note about my one-shot dump "Paperweights;" I am accepting word prompts so PM with any that you may have and I'll give it shot!<br>**


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, so this one's a little shorter, but we're getting closer to what you GaLe fans are waiting for. I'm still working on getting past chapter 13, and I was originally going to work on it this weekend, but I got busy, exhausted, and then horribly distracted (it's all Sting's fault... and I know many of you know exactly what I mean with that, lol). But, I figured I'd at the very least get this out now, then chapter 12 will come on Wednesday (maybe, we'll see)... hopefully by then my muse will have returned from wherever Sting took it and I'll have gotten over that hump that is chapter 14.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy! If you don't, I now have someone to blame everything on, so I'm blaming it on him.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Hiro Mashima (though there has been debate on if it's really him or it's Sting... only reason Fro's one line could cause so much chaos for me today).**

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><p>As soon as Levy reached the pool area, she dropped Lucy's arm in favor of covering her bright red cheeks and turning to the highly amused blonde behind her.<p>

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! That… that… he was… OH MY GOD! LUCY!" Levy hollered at her friend, completely unsure how to explain her emotions.

"Relax, Levy," Lucy whispered to the girl while drawing her in close, "Remember that right now you're in a place where something like this is supposed to happen, so if you freak out too much people might start questioning you guys."

Levy whimpered before nodding at her friend, taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart.

"Though I gotta say," Lucy continued, "Gajeel certainly did a number on your neck."

With a squeak, the bluenette immediately slapped a hand to the area her partner had been biting only minutes before.

"Does it look that bad?" she then asked in a small voice.

"Hmmm… I wouldn't say bad; but if anyone doubted you two were together before, they definitely shouldn't now." The blonde said as she gently lifted her friend's hand away to inspect the small bruises forming on her skin. "Poor guy's probably close to losing his mind right about now."

"Huh? What do you mean by that, Lu-chan?" Levy asked while trying to cover her neck again to hide the marks from her friend's scrutiny.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing, nothing, just talking to myself," she waved off, laughing as she proceeded to drag the confused girl to some deck chairs to lounge on. "Now, let's get some sun and we can talk about those plans of ours."

After making themselves comfortable, the two girls spent the next hour discussing all of their plans for when they returned to Fairy Tail, and how exactly they were going to pull them off. When Lucy saw that her friend was successfully distracted from thinking about Gajeel's recent actions, she decided it was a good time to grill the smaller woman for details.

"Soooo… Levy-chan?" She began innocently, waiting for the bluenette to turn questioning eyes to her. "I take it Gajeel really liked the bikini Mira had you buy."

"Lu-chan!" Levy wailed at her friend. "I thought we were done talking about that?"

"Heehee, oh come on, Levy, I just want to know what happened back there."

"F- fine," the script mage mumbled out before quickly, and quietly, recounting what happened between her and her partner earlier. She figured she might as well tell the blonde mage about the day before; let her know about their short conversations in the morning and later that night.

"Wow, that's so sweet," Lucy gushed at her friend, "I still can't believe that's the same man who used me for target practice."

"Lu-chan, he's changed, but I'm so confused about all of this. I want to believe that so much of what he's doing is for the mission, but there's a lot that he doesn't have to do or say, and I don't know what to think of it all." The small woman whispered to her friend.

"Levy," the spirit mage sighed before reaching out to touch the other woman's shoulder, "I think deep down you already know what he meant before and why he's doing what he's doing. He's following the very same advice you gave Natsu and I, so I'm going to give you your own advice, too, and tell you to just relax and go with it."

By the end of Lucy's quiet speech, Levy's eyes were opened wide in shock as she realized exactly what her friend was telling her. She didn't know if she wanted to jump and scream for joy; or run and hide; or run and tackle the topic of their conversation and kiss him senseless. She settled for beaming a bright smile at the blonde and stretching out on her lounge chair to go back to enjoying their afternoon in the sun.

"Thanks, Lu-chan!"

"Heh, just returning the favor."

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><p>Later that afternoon, Gajeel opened the door to his hotel room, after a rather torturous two hours with the hyperactive Salamander, to be attacked by a blue headed woman who literally threw herself at his chest. If he was anyone else, he surely would have fallen back into the hall, but being the iron dragon slayer he managed to catch the woman in his arms as she wrapped her small body around his torso in a hug.<p>

'_Well, this is new,'_ the confused man thought as he supported Levy's short clad legs that somehow wrapped around his waist in her hug, and walked the two into the room, shutting the door with his foot. _'Not that I'm complaining or anything, though I wish she'd still have that bikini on.'_

"Ya miss me, Shrimp?" Gajeel teased as he continued to hold the bluenette who didn't seem interested in removing herself from him anytime soon.

The only answer he got was a bright smile from the girl as she pulled away enough to look at his face, causing him to grin in return.

"Did you and Natsu find anything?" Levy asked instead, figuring he'd understand her answer without needing to say anything.

Gajeel grunted in annoyance at the reminder before answering. "Not a thing, fucking waste of time; had to spend a whole afternoon with that crazed idiot for nothing."

"Aww, it couldn't have been that terrible," she giggled at the disappointed dragon, "the resort's still standing so you two must have gotten along just fine."

"Thank Loke for that one," he admitted after snorting in amusement. "Shortly after you and Bunny Girl left, we almost went at it in the courtyard. Probably would have leveled the place if that lion didn't show up."

"Wow, he really is a free spirit," Levy mused as she realized Lucy never called on the celestial being that afternoon.

Gajeel grunted in agreement before letting his eyes wander to the right side of the girl's neck, grinning with pride as he saw the line of bruises that had formed on her delicate skin. While he had a rule with himself to never put another mark on her like he did with Phantom Lord, he figured this could be his one exception. Still holding the happy woman in his arms, he walked to the bed and let them fall on the soft surface, stopping his fall just before he could crush the girl. Gajeel grinned against her neck as he nuzzled the bite marks while she giggled in delight, wholly welcoming his attentions.

"You have a good afternoon with Bunny Girl?" The dragon slayer asked as he tried to keep himself from ravishing the girl.

"Yep, it was nice to have a little girl time so we could talk," she answered, moving the hands wrapped around the man's neck into his hair.

"Hmmm," Gajeel hummed as he felt her fingernails run along his scalp, "Wha' d'ya talk 'bout?"

"Girl stuff."

"Hmmm, what kind of girl stuff?" He prodded, amused at her teasing.

"Well, her and Natsu, of course."

"Of course, what else?"

"Stuff," was her short reply.

"Come on, Shrimp, tell me." The dragon began to beg. "I wanna know why I had to spend the whole day with fire-breath!"

"Nope, not gonna tell ya," she teased, "anyway you need to get ready for our date night, so get to it."

Gajeel wanted to growl in frustration, but couldn't get the sound to get past his throat when she mentioned the date, or, as she termed it, _their date_. Something about the way she said that, adding the small possessive in front of it, made him feel incredibly excited. So he removed himself from the girl without any more complaint.

As the tall man moved to grab something nicer to wear, he was surprised by a smack on his butt, and turned shocked eyes to the laughing, and blushing, mage on the bed.

"Payback!" She squeaked through her laughter.

"Watch it, Levy, you don't know what your getting yourself into," he growled in warning, about ready to tackle the small woman.

"Go shower already, Gajeel!" She commanded between laughs, pointing the dragon slayer towards the bathroom.

Gajeel decided that he'd get her back when she least expected it, and so did as told and went to the bathroom to get showered and changed. He figured he'd use the time wisely to regain some of the control the bluenette had made him lose with her teasing, and maybe come up with an idea to reward her for her playfulness.

Upon exiting the bathroom, black shirt still unbuttoned, he found Levy sitting on the couch with a book after having changed again. The shorts and t-shirt she had been wearing after her time at the pool was replaced by a short, black skirt and dark green, skin tight halter top. To finish off her outfit she had matching, high heeled sandals on with ribbons that wrapped up her slender calves, tying off just below her knee. He found himself having to dig his nails into the palms of his hand to keep himself focused on not pinning the woman to the couch and having his way with her.

Making his way over to the couch, Gajeel wasn't surprised when Levy didn't move her eyes from her book as he sat down next to her. Grinning to himself, the dragon moved to pick up the completely oblivious woman, setting her down in his lap so he could lean over her shoulder to look at what she was reading. He couldn't help himself as he went wide eyed at the few words he had caught on the page, turning bright red with a blush. Levy; his little, innocent, Levy, was reading a rather graphic romance novel, after earlier telling him she didn't like that genre as much.

Coming back to his senses as he tightened his grip on her waist, he leaned in to whisper in the woman's ear.

"What happened to not liking those kinds of novels, Levy?" He teased, grinning when she squeaked in realization and slammed the book shut, proving that she had absolutely no idea that he had moved her, or that he was even there to begin with.

"Ummmm, Erza gave it to me?" she said, trying to defend herself, but her questioning, unsure tone gave away her lie.

"Uh-huh, nice try there, Shorty. So why are you reading it now, hmmmm?"

"…."

"…."

When it was obvious she didn't have an answer for him, Gajeel just chuckled in delight before leaning back on the couch, pulling her with him until her back rested against his chest. He decided to give her a break on the teasing as he gently placed his lips on the bite marks on her neck, brushing them along the bruises as he spoke.

"You look amazing, by the way," he whispered.

"Uh-huh," was her rather distracted answer, causing him to chuckle more. Apparently her neck was an incredibly sensitive spot considering her brain always seemed to turn to mush every time he indulged in the area.

"We should probably go," he said while lightly kissing up the column of her neck to her ear, curious as to what her reaction would be to that.

"Uh-huh."

She didn't disappoint as she again gave an automatic response, clearly no longer thinking. So with one last nip to her earlobe, Gajeel stood them both up, making sure she didn't collapse on the floor in her dazed state, and moved to finish getting dressed. As he went to grab a tie, he continued to watch as Levy just stood there staring off into space for a few more seconds before shaking her head to remove the fog.

"Gi Hee," he chuckled at her before teasing, "Welcome back."

Her reaction was priceless to him as she blushed, puffed her cheeks in irritation, and tried to glare at him.

He just laughed at her annoyance before moving to ruffle her hair, "Come on, Shrimp, gotta get to that date already, unless you want Natsu and Lucy to have to come get us again."

He was amazed to find her face could turn even redder than it already was, as she blushed more with his implication and reminder of earlier. He was surprised she hadn't had a nosebleed yet with all the blushing, he knows he would have had one earlier when she was in that bikini if he hadn't been so drawn to her in the moment.

As much as Gajeel was enjoying the mutual flirting they seemed to be doing that afternoon, he figured he would have to wait until later for more. So, he moved to wrap his arm around her shoulder and guide the still embarrassed woman out of the room and down the hall to hopefully interrupt the other couple as payback for earlier. He definitely wasn't disappointed when Natsu opened the door, obviously flustered, with his silver shirt unbuttoned and hair even wilder than normal. Peeking around the fuming dragon slayer, he couldn't help but laugh at the pouting blonde on the bed, blue dress and hair equally as askew as her partner.

"Come on, love birds, we got shit to do." He teased, this time finding himself on the receiving end of another punch to the face; he was definitely noticing a pattern between him and his rival. "Gi Hee!"

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><p><strong>Eh, to me this is a so-so chapter, but it's more of a bridge into the next one when we finally get some action with GaLe, plus a little bit on the actual mission (I swear, I did not forget that they are actually on a mission, I'm just getting the romance done with first).<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**As promised, chapter 12! I see my muse at a distance, so hopefully it'll be back tonight so I can finally get chapter 14 written and not feel like a total slacker. I'll also do an early warning for chapter 13: it is highly citrusy... actually it's pretty much all citrus, and if you've read my lemons before you know that they can be explicit... so if you don't like graphic details you may want to skip chapter 13, but if you're a pervert like me and everyone who voted for C in my poll, then you'll enjoy the chapter after this one, lol. In the meantime, enjoy this chapter and look forward to the weekend when I plan to post the next one.**

**Disclaimer: Do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Hiro Mashima. The only one I can take credit for in this chapter is the resort manager.**

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><p>Dinner that night went as it always did, with the exception of the two dragon slayers' glaring match. It seemed that they were trying to see who could exude the most killing intent as they fought with their eyes. Needless to say, every table within a 20 foot radius in the restaurant was empty, only the two girls sitting next to them seemed immune as they continued to chat as if their dates weren't trying to kill each other with their minds. When the glaring match escalated into a kicking war beneath the table, that's when the two women intervened by smacking their respective partner upside the head; effectively bringing their fight to a halt. After that, other couples in the restaurant felt it was finally safe enough to slowly bring the uninhabited radius down to about 18 feet.<p>

When they were finished eating, the two couples made their way to the small theater located on the southern side of the grounds, walking through another courtyard to reach a Greek styled building. As they entered, they were surprised to see that unlike most theaters that had individual seating, this one had small, two person love seats arranged around the room. Each couch was situated so couples would have plenty of privacy in the dark theater during the movie, keeping quite a bit of distance between seats for this.

The two couples decided to split up from there so they had a better chance of catching something; Natsu and Lucy quickly ran off, saying they'd take the front of the theater, leaving the other couple to settle onto a couch in the corner by the back. Levy and Gajeel had a feeling that they were being set up yet again, but chose not to comment on it in favor of trying to focus on what they were actually there for.

Gajeel lead the way to their seat, wrapping an arm around the bluenette's shoulders once they were seated, grinning when she leaned against him. They had just barely been waiting for a minute before the lights began to dim, and a tall, platinum blonde woman walked on stage under a spotlight. The woman's long hair was pulled back in a high pony tail, and she wore a stunning, dark red cocktail dress that highlighted every curve she had; she could have easily topped Mirajane when it came to looks.

"Good evening, everyone!" The gorgeous woman began. "For those of you who I haven't had the pleasure of meeting, my name is Sofie DuBois, and I am the manager at this esteemed resort. Now I am so happy to see so many lovely couples here tonight…"

"She smells funny," Gajeel whispered into Levy's ear, distracting the girl from the manager's speech.

"What do you mean?"

"It's hard to explain, but she smells like lacrima." He explained to his partner.

"Hmmm, are you sure you aren't just picking up the projection lacrima for the movie?" Levy asked, amazed to think that the dragon slayer could pick up her scent from such a distance.

"No, it's different from that; this scent is one that reminds me of the lacrima in Edolas. It's also really similar to the scent of lacrima I pick up from 2nd and 3rd generation slayers, but it's hard to say if she is one going off of that alone." Gajeel clarified, obviously growing quite suspicious of the woman on stage.

"So, without further ado," Sofie announced, obviously done with her little speech, breaking into the couple's exchange, "on with the movie!"

With the movie starting, Gajeel watched the manager leave the room, and after a quick check, noticed that the scent he picked up went with her, just as he thought.

"It was definitely coming for her," he confirmed to his partner, who nodded in understanding.

"We'll have to ask Natsu if he noticed anything since he was closer," Levy remarked, just barely making out the dragon's own nod in the dark room. With that one suspicious element found, the pair then descended into their own thoughts, not paying any attention to the movie, as they tried to think of what that lacrima smell could mean.

About halfway through the movie, Gajeel glanced down at the bluenette still nestled against him. He could tell she wasn't concentrating on the screen any more than he was, and glancing up at the other couple towards the front told him they weren't either; though they did seem to be peeking back at them from time to time. Deciding that they really couldn't try and come up with any answers for their mission with such little evidence, he figured it would be best to just try and enjoy the rest of the night, even if they were watching a horrible movie.

With a smirk, he decided it was a good time to play with his partner since they were hidden away from everyone, Natsu being the only one in the theater with any chance of seeing what he was doing, and if the idiot said anything he'd kill him. Letting the arm around the girl's shoulder slide down behind her back, he grabbed her slender waist and pulled her in between his legs as he stretched himself across the couch. When Levy turned confused eyes to him, he just grinned at her before pulling her body closer to his own and cuddling her against him. He could tell she was trying not to giggle too loudly at him, and he knew what she was probably thinking; that he really liked to cuddle.

Levy figured that the dragon slayer was probably bored and not paying any attention to the movie; especially since that was how she felt. Deciding to play along with him, she turned around completely so she was lying on his chest on her stomach with his arms wrapped tight around her waist to hold her steady. His head was propped up by the arm of the couch, making it so they were face to face in their positions, and because of the shorter length of the seat, his legs were propped up, forcing her legs to lie on either side of his body. She figured they probably looked incredibly intimate, if not entirely risqué considering her skirt was riding up her thighs, but she was bored and didn't care at that point.

"Bored?" She mouthed to the dragon slayer.

Gajeel nodded in response before drawing her closer so he could whisper in her ear.

"This movie's torture," he told her while nudging his nose against her cheek.

"I didn't even pay attention to the first half," Levy admitted.

"Gi Hee," the iron mage chuckled, "Did you at least come up with anything 'bout the mission?"

"No," she answered with a sigh, "her scent really isn't much to go off of at this point. I'm almost afraid we'll have to wait for something to happen before we even know what's going on, and it's probably too early in the week for anything to happen."

A grunt was the large man's answer, obviously just as frustrated with how little they had to go off of, but they still had until Saturday to find some answers. Seeing that nothing was going to get solved that night, he went back to enjoying his partner's company, and once again buried his face against her neck. He was grinning again when she let her own head fall so that she was breathing lightly against his own neck, completely relaxed in his arms. The iron mage then let his hands wander up and down the small woman's back, one eventually settling on rubbing circles on the skin of her upper back while the other teased a small patch of exposed skin at the base of her shirt.

Levy hummed in contentment at the treatment; his caresses felt even better on her skin, and she found herself taking up one of Gajeel's favorite habits, and nuzzling just beneath his ear. She was surprised to actually hear him groan quietly as his hands flexed and tightened their grip on her momentarily, before she felt him begin lightly kissing her neck. As her mind began to drift away on her, she idly wondered what it was with him and her neck, maybe it was a dragon thing; she'd have to ask Lucy if Natsu had a similar habit.

Before the small bluenette knew what was happening, she found her head being turned up slightly before her partner's lips suddenly covered her own. She snapped her eyes open in shock for a moment before giving into the sensation and kissing the man back. The second she gave in, she came to realize how long Gajeel must have been holding back on her because she quickly found herself pinned under the man as he deepened the kiss, ravaging her mouth as if he was a starving man with a piece of meat.

Gajeel didn't realize how close to snapping he was until he felt the small woman's nose brushing behind his ear, after that he regained enough control to just kiss along her neck, at least that was the plan until he found himself creeping closer to her face. As he began tilting her jaw up, placing more kisses along the slender bone, he found himself looking at Levy's gentle face, her eyes closed, lips slightly parted, and he knew he couldn't hold back any longer. To his utmost surprise and happiness, she didn't hesitate in kissing him back, and that's when he officially lost it and flipped her beneath him.

The iron mage was gone at that point as he moved a hand to fist in the woman's blue locks, while the other rubbed against her waist and stomach, keeping just enough control that he didn't move it too high or too low. Gajeel let himself nip at Levy's bottom lip, eliciting a small gasp that allowed him to slip his tongue between her lips. As the smaller mage's tongue tentatively began to play with his own the iron dragon groaned into her mouth and deepened the kiss.

He couldn't believe how good she tasted to him, then again, he couldn't believe that only a few days into their mission and he actually had a chance to taste her like this. But after all the temptation when it was only supposed to be an act, then the actual, honest flirting they had been doing the entire day, and some of the day before, he just couldn't let an opportunity like this pass him by. The only problem he could foresee with what was happening was what he was going to do about holding back when they returned to the room; where there was a bed, and there weren't any other people.

'_Shit, I forgot where we were!'_ Gajeel thought to himself, thinking that he should probably stop their activity; that is until he felt one of Levy's hands make its way under the collar of his shirt and brush along his shoulder and part of his chest. _'Ahhhh, fuck it… Though when did my tie get loosened?'_

Eventually the iron mage realized that they both needed to breathe and moved himself back to kissing and nibbling on her neck, figuring he might as well give her a matching set of marks on the left side. It was then that he found himself even more amazed by the small bookworm under him as she managed to get in a few nips of her own on his jaw and ear, making him shiver with pleasure and push his body against hers to feel more of her soft curves against his hard muscles.

'_Fuuuuuck,' _was the forerunning thought in the dragon's mind as he continued to lose himself to his partner's touch, _'Her thighs are soooo smooth… When did my hand get there?…. Fuuuuuuck.'_

Apparently sometime in the middle of the couple's make out session the movie ended, and the room slowly emptied with no sane wizard there willing to interrupt the iron dragon slayer and his girlfriend. Unfortunately, the only two people in the room both brave and stupid enough to interrupt the couple… did. First, it was just a quiet cough from the blonde spirit mage that Gajeel either didn't hear, or just ignored outright; his partner didn't seem to find it all that important, either. Next, someone (namely Natsu) dared to grab onto Gajeel's long black mane and attempt to physically remove the large man from the woman. When that somehow didn't work, Natsu just resorted to yelling at the couple in hopes of embarrassing them, or at least Levy since the iron mage didn't seem to care at that point.

"Oi! Will you two stop going at in the middle of the theater, if you want each other that bad then go back to your fucking room! We don't wanna see you two make little Gajeels and Levys right here!" The pink haired dragon slayer hollered, effectively getting the bluenette's attention as he heard her squeak before an iron pillar collided with his face; again, there was that pattern. Maybe it was a dragon thing.

* * *

><p><em>Natsu and Lucy's point of view<em>

_Instead of watching the rather boring movie in front of them, Natsu and Lucy spent most of their time glancing at the couple in the back of the theater. Natsu's enhanced senses made it easy for him to see exactly what they were doing, while Lucy could just barely make out their outlines and had to rely on Natsu for details._

"_Anything happening yet?" Lucy asked near the halfway point of the movie, twisting around to peek at their friends._

"_Nope, they don't seem to be paying attention to the movie though, probably too busy thinking about the manager's scent," Natsu answered after also turning to view the other couple, turning back around quickly the second he made eye contact with Gajeel. "Well, Gajeel knows we're watching them."_

"_Great, now they probably won't do anything." The blonde said, clearly disappointed that they got caught spying._

"_Hmmm, I don't know about that," the fire mage mumbled after he glanced back again only to see Gajeel pulling Levy up his body, while the small woman twisted to straddle her partner._

"_What? What's happening now?"_

"_Well, Levy's on top of him, but it looks like their only talking."_

_Lucy allowed herself to turn back around to view the shadowy blobs that were the iron dragon slayer and solid script mage. She frowned while squinting, the flickering light from the movie occasionally letting her see the pair in question. She had completely given up on the movie at that point, as she and Natsu sat on their knees to peek over the back of their couch, finding far more entertainment in their friends' obvious flirting._

"_Okay, Gajeel's rubbing her back now," Natsu continued to narrate quietly, "Oh… Levy just did something cuz he just tensed up for a second…. Hmmmm… He's kissing her neck now, at least that's what it looks like from this angle."_

"_Well, that doesn't surprise me considering those marks she has came from him," Lucy mumbled._

"_Oh! OH! He kissed her!" Natsu whispered loudly._

_At this point Lucy was able to see the sudden movement that came with Gajeel flipping to be on top of Levy, and figured they were going at it pretty heavily._

"_Wow, from what I can see, he really was holding back before," she mused to her boyfriend, who only nodded with a grin on his face._

"_He was seriously ready to kill someone with all the frustration he was feeling," Natsu confided in his partner. "You're lucky I'm still alive after earlier."_

_The two decided that if they watched any longer it'd probably be a little weird, so they turned back around and pretended to watch the rest of the movie. As soon as the show was over, though, they looked back at the couple that was still going at it in the back; now clearly visible as the lights came up._

"_We should probably stop them… maybe," Lucy thought aloud as she watched the iron mage's hand start inching up her friend's thigh to land on her backside beneath the small woman's skirt. "Though I don't know if I have that much of a death wish at the moment…."_

"_They can just go back to it when they get to the room," Natsu reasoned, watching Levy start undoing more buttons on the dragon's shirt. "At the rate their going they'll want the privacy. I'm pretty sure he's going to punch me, though, the second they stop."_

_The blonde nodded in agreement as they walked over to the pair in the back and proceeded to bring their activities to a halt. Of course, Natsu ended up being proved correct as Lucy watched the pink haired man go flying to the front of the room, the projection screen not quite stopping his flight as he crashed into the wall behind it._

_Lucy decided that it was probably a very dangerous thing to interrupt a dragon when they were with their mate, unless you really wanted to die that day._

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><p><em><em>**There ya have it! Finally! So you can guess where I'm going with the next chapter, but after that one I'll be focusing on the mission... then 'repaying' Mira for her help, lol. You all know Gray's in trouble, too. I actually want to do something with Erza, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what they could do for her... she scares me just as much as she scares them.  
><strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**The much anticipated chapter 13! I'm hoping to get the next chapter written tonight and tomorrow, probably post during the week, but first I'm going to work on a few one-shots for Paperweights that just won't go away. In the meantime, I figured I'd give everyone some happy citrus to celebrate jealous Gajeel in the anime! Oh my freakin' God (or Sting for my mangafox readers, lol)... I'm still fangirling over that scene in the last episode... I don't care if it's filler in the anime and therefore not really canon... it was just too awesome! He so llllliiiikes her! What made it even better is they fixed his face and piercings so he doesn't look like a creeper as much, and Levy looks less childish, too (though no where near the cute and adorable level she has in the manga). GAH! I'm going to be fangirling for awhile, so don't mind me.**

**Anyway, extra warning for those who don't like _explicit citrus_... this is the reason the story is rated 'M'... so if you don't like it, _don't read it.  
><em>Otherwise, my fellow hentai minded readers, enjoy.  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters... and OMG! GaLe is so going to happen! Thank you animators! I love you right now!**

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><p>As soon as Gajeel got back to their room, after carrying Levy over his shoulder as he sped through the resort complex like a man on a mission, he proceeded to toss the small script mage onto the bed, following her as he quickly reclaimed her lips to return to their previous activities. The bluenette didn't seem to mind his desperation at that point as she clung to him tightly while undoing the last few buttons on his shirt. He had no idea where his tie had gotten to, and had no desire in taking the time to look for it while they were still in the theater, just as he had no desire in fixing his shirt or letting Levy fix her own clothing.<p>

The young woman quickly proceeded to shed the large man of his shirt while he continued to devour her mouth and practically crush his body to hers. She pulled away to moan loudly as one of his hands snaked back up her skirt and latched onto her firm backside, using the grip to pull her hips against his own, the friction sending delicious jolts of electricity racing through her body.

Levy wasn't as naïve and inexperienced as her blonde friend next door, she had had a few boyfriends in the past; though none ever brought this much passion from her, and she knew where things may lead if she and Gajeel kept going that night. While she may have had some experiences, she wasn't as free with her body as someone like Cana, and had always stopped things before they went too far, but with Gajeel, she almost didn't want to. That thought both terrified her and thrilled her; to lose that last bit of innocence to the man atop her was something she could never have imagined before, despite how much she may have wanted it.

With those thoughts running through her head, Levy somehow managed to slow things down again and pushed the large man to roll over onto his back, following him to straddle his waist. As she sat up to stare down at his face painted with lust and desire, she could clearly feel what he thought of their activities as his body's reaction pressed into her backside. He was even growling at her, nearly feral with want, as he ground her against him, drawing a low moan from her. Her skirt had somehow been pushed up to her waist, exposing her black lacy thong to the man, who seemed to have noticed the metal studs dotting the waist as his hands caressed the embellishments that clearly told him she may have planned to show him those eventually.

"Gajeel," she quietly began, dragging his attention back to her flushed face to listen to her, "what are we doing?"

Her simple question was met with an unexpectedly rough response as the dragon slayer moved to sit up and level his face with hers as he answered.

"We're doing what we want to do," Gajeel growled at her, not liking that she just might have begun doubting their actions. "At least I know I'm doing what I've fucking wanted to do for a long time, Levy. So if you have any second thoughts you'd better say 'em now and don't lead me on."

Levy just shook her head as she wrapped her arms around his neck, grinding against him to let him know that wasn't what she meant to imply, smirking to herself as he groaned and tightened his grip on her hips.

"I do want this, but what I want to know is what this is supposed to mean later. Plus, there are certain things I haven't done before and I don't know if I'm quite ready to go that far, yet." The bluenette admitted to the quickly relaxing man.

"We don't gotta do anything you don't want to do until you're ready, Shrimp. As far as later goes, I know I don't plan on giving you up, so you can take it as you want, just know you'll have a tough time getting rid of me if you ever change yer mind."

Levy just beamed at the man before leaning in to press a sweet and innocent kiss to his lips, drastically contrasting with the passion they had both been exhibiting until that point.

"Good thing I don't plan on changing my mind," she whispered to him after pulling away, smiling as his confident smirk made its way across his face. "But, I'll make sure you have just as tough a time getting rid of me if you ever dare get bored with me."

"Gi Hee, how the hell am I gonna get bored with you, Levy," he laughed before dropping his voice while leaning in to finish talking against her lips. "As I keep tellin' ya, you're fucking amazing."

With that said he quickly ended any further discussion as he reclaimed her lips with the same passion he had before, still no where near done with her after all the pent up frustration he had from the past three days alone. He quickly went back to letting his hands roam her body, while she did the same to him. As one hand gripped and massaged her thigh and hip, the other slowly worked its way up her top to lightly tease one of her small mounds. When Levy moaned at the sensation, the iron dragon let his face fall to her shoulder, pulling her up so he could plant kisses and nips along her partially exposed collar bone.

Levy continued to pant and writhe against her partner as his hands cupped and squeezed her breasts, occasionally pinching the sensitive nipples, as he began to light a fire in the pit of her stomach. Eventually Gajeel managed to push her top up and over her head, leaving her exposed to him as he quickly bent down further to latch onto a pink bud.

"Oh God, Gajeel," she moaned while moving her hands to grip his long mane, digging her nails into his scalp and drawing a growl from the mage beneath her, who proceeded to bite down on the nub in his mouth in response to her own aggressiveness.

The blue haired woman let one hand fall down to the man's waist, quickly undoing the buttons and reaching in to grasp his large member in a firm grip.

"Fuuuuuuuck, Levy," he groaned against her chest while bucking up at the sensation. He let himself sit and enjoy the feeling of her tiny hands rubbing his length, easing the pain that their activities had caused, before making a move of his own; slipping the hand still on her thigh around and under her backside to rub at her womanhood through her lacy panties.

Levy responded similarly as she rubbed herself against his fingers while tightening her hold on his cock. Her moans were swallowed up by an eager Gajeel as he leaned up to once again kiss her senseless. As the woman began to pant into their kiss, the iron dragon smirked against her mouth as he moved her thong to the side and buried a finger into her tight channel, drawing a deep moan from the girl. All the play, the feeling of her tight body pressed so intimately to his own, her glorious reactions to his every touch, was making him delirious with want, but he said he would wait, and he wasn't about to break a promise to her. So he continued to work her tight womanhood while biting down on her collar bone to hold back, adding two more fingers as she began to ride his hand.

The script mage was so overcome with the feelings welling inside her that she completely lost herself, abandoning her task of working Gajeel's member as he brought her over the edge. The large man didn't care at that point, he was so focused on her pleasure that he felt he could wait to get his own. When she finally came Gajeel grinned with male pride as she loudly moaned his name, her womanhood gripping his hand so tightly his cock throbbed, wanting to be buried in her. Instead, he stayed still after removing his soaking wet hand from her, licking his fingers clean as he watched her come down from her high. When she finally came back to him, her eyes still somewhat glassy as they took in the sight of the iron dragon slayer licking her juices from his hand, he was surprised as she suddenly pushed him back on the bed and attacked his lips.

He groaned into her mouth as her still wet nether lips rubbed against his aching length, the temptation almost too high as he teased her opening with the tip of his member. He could tell she was having just as hard a time as him holding back, but as she started trailing kisses down his body, he knew she regained some sense to hold back on going that far. Gajeel couldn't help but be shocked, though, at the sight of his little bookworm slowly making her way down his corded abdomen, kissing and nipping at his hip bones, her small breasts grazing over his twitching length, before she stopped with her lips hovering over his staff.

He could only stared wide eyed at the woman as she licked her lips before bending down to take his member completely in her mouth, pulling an even deeper groan from his throat as he was engulfed by the wet warmth of her mouth. Gajeel tried to hold still while she gently bobbed her head, her hands rubbing the base of his shaft that didn't make it into her oral cavity, but when her teeth lightly grazed the skin on the head and she moaned around the turgid muscle, he couldn't hold back as he grasped her hair tightly and bucked up into her.

"Shit, Levy…" Gajeel moaned while watching the woman, his hands fisting in her blue locks as he practically held her to him, "that feels sooo fuckin' good, you have no idea."

Her response was another gentle hum while her hands pumped the shaft, garnering another thrust from him as he felt his control slipping. Fortunately for him, she didn't seem to mind his aggressiveness as she just continued to pleasure him as he pushed himself deeper down her throat.

"Fuck, Levy, I'm gonna cum," he warned the girl, thinking she'd want to move away, only to be surprised once again as she turned deceptively innocent eyes towards his face and watched him as he came in her mouth, swallowing every drop.

"Holy shit, woman, I don't wanna know where you learned how to do that… here I thought you were just an innocent little bookworm, but really you're a sex kitten in disguise." Gajeel panted out as the woman removed herself from him, pulling her into his lap to kiss her deeply.

Once he pulled away again to look at the once again blushing girl in his arms, he smiled as she giggled at him.

"Well, you saw what was in that book," she reminded him, "you shouldn't be too surprised that I have some knowledge on how to please a man."

Gajeel just growled at her through his grin, nipping at her nose as he gave her a warning. "Well you ain't using that knowledge on anyone else, got that, Shrimp."

Levy only laughed at him before pulling herself out of his lap so she could move to change for bed.

"I guess I should have known you'd be the possessive type, but don't worry, I don't like the idea of sharing, either."

"Damn straight, you're my woman now," he said while getting up to move behind her, wrapping her in his arms as he nipped at her shoulder; he was finding the sight of her changing too much to handle.

"Gajeel," Levy moaned while leaning into his chest, "we really should get some sleep."

Gajeel only grunted before turning the small woman to kiss her deeply, pulling her against him to feel her naked skin pressed against his own bare chest.

"Shit, Levy, I don't think I'm ever going to get enough of you," he grunted after pulling away, gently kissing her forehead as he pulled her back to the bed and laying down with her still in his arms.

"I think I know what you mean," the script mage answered while letting herself relax on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat as sleep began to over take her. "If I had known you were holding back this much I would have done something sooner."

Gajeel just grunted while kicking his pants off, seeing as they had fallen to his ankles when he had stood earlier. Grabbing the blanket he wrapped he and the woman up while curling around her nearly naked body, smiling as she tangled her legs with his own. As he watched her fall asleep in his arms, this time truly as his, he idly realized that waking up to a naked Levy was going to be a blessing and a curse for him, hopefully she didn't mind too much if he started a second round in the morning.

* * *

><p><strong>One last fangirl moment: KYAAAAAAHHHHH!<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**So this is pretty short (sorry :( ), but it's basically just a bridge into the main action for the mission, which I have for the most part planned out. The next chapter will focus entirely on the mission, so it will more than likely be much longer, unless I decide to divide it into two chapters. I should get that one out sometime next week. I have a crack fic project from the mangafox forums that I'll be working on this weekend: just as a warning to people who have me on author alert, when I publish that fic, it will be all crack... if you've read Darkness Drake's (aka Sly's) work on here, then you know what kind of chaos we on the MF romance forum can come up with. So if you do not like crack, you might not want to read it... if you like crack, are a MF member or lurker, then enjoy the chaos Luna and I have come up with.**

**Also, a mini warning for this chapter, I hint at more citrus between GaLe, but I forced myself to skim over it so you all can avoid an extra trip to the hospital. I'm already certain that the last two chapters of this fic will cause you all to need a massive blood transfusion with the amount of pairing citrus I plan to cram into them.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, they belong to Hiro Mashima. The only parts of this story I hold creative license to are my three OCs Sophie, Mick and Nick.  
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><p>"Ugh, Luce, I don't think I'm going to make it through the day." Natsu groaned out as he slumped over the table in the resort's dining room, nearly falling asleep over his lunch.<p>

"I know, Natsu, I didn't expect to be woken up that way this morning, either." Lucy moaned in reply, just as tired and exhausted as her boyfriend.

The couple had originally gone back to their room the night before, but after hearing their neighbor's activities, they quickly headed back out to wander the grounds. After an hour they figured it was safe to return, and were happy to hear nothing coming from Gajeel and Levy's room. Unfortunately for them, the other couple awoke near dawn and in turn woke them as they continued where they left off the night before.

"We'll go take a nap in a bit," the spirit mage continued. "I mean, they can't stay in their room all day."

"I don't care; as long as it means Gajeel's not about to kill anyone anytime soon, I'll deal with it. Plus, I'm just gonna have to pay them back for the early wake up."

Lucy immediately started blushing at the dragon slayer's remark, turning away from the sly, yet tired, grin on his face. Before she could reply, though, she was interrupted as the blonde hotel manager, Sophie, came bounding up to their table to hug the couple from behind.

"Oh my goodness! I saw you two at the movie last night! I had heard two of Fairy Tail's famous dragon slayers were here with their girlfriends!" The older blonde exclaimed rapidly, squeezing the now terrified couple into a tighter hug. "I've wanted to meet you guys for so long! How's your stay going?"

"Uh, good?" Natsu answered, unsure about the strangely excited woman who seemed to have no regards for personal boundaries.

"Really? I'm glad!" Sophie shrieked out; finally relenting her hold on the duo so she could take a seat at the table with them. "So, what brought you to our lovely resort?"

"One of our guild members set this up for us," Lucy quickly began to explain. "Some sort of a congratulations for our new relationship, I guess."

"Ooooh, well that was awfully sweet of them," the manager mused, sending them a sweet smile that didn't match the sudden devious glint in her eye. "Well, as extra congrats, I would like to bestow a token of gratitude for coming here. I have two passes to our exclusive, invitation only, hot springs that I'd like you to have. I've already arranged for Gajeel and his girlfriend to receive them, as well, so you four can enjoy them together if you wish."

"Really, thank you!" Lucy exclaimed with fake cheer, taking the tickets as Sophie passed them to her across the table. "We'll have to check them out tomorrow, Natsu!"

"Hmmm, yeah." The pink haired mage agreed, trying to hold back his suspicion at the sudden gift.

"Great! Well, I'd better be going! You two enjoy those springs!" With that said, the resort manager left the pair as quickly as she had appeared, leaving two very suspicious mages behind.

"I don't like this." Natsu suddenly grunted, taking the tickets as he glared at them. "It's definitely a trap."

"I don't doubt that for a second, but it's our best clue so far; we have no choice but to check it out."

"I think we should go let the others know what's happening so they can be ready for whatever happens tomorrow." The fire mage informed her, moving to get up from their table and head out, obviously worried about what awaits them at the hot springs. "I don't feel like waiting for Levy and metal-head, anyway, I'm sure they'll agree with going tomorrow."

Lucy solemnly nodded before linking her hand with Natsu's, giving him a squeeze of reassurance before following him out. The dragon slayer quickly pulled his girlfriend closer to him, letting go of her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulder, a smile spreading over his face as he looked at the positive side of what could happen.

"At least if it's a trap it means we might be able to finish things up soon; then we can enjoy the rest of our time here." He grinned down at the woman, leaning down to kiss behind her ear and nuzzle her neck.

The celestial mage immediately found herself blushing again with his sudden affection, but wouldn't deny that she felt impatient to finish the mission quickly for the same reasons he did. All she could do was nod quickly and pull him forward so they could meet with the others.

They were both more than ready to get this mission over with.

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><p>"Awww, come on, Shrimp, do you have to cover them up?" Gajeel whined from the door to the bathroom as he watched his new girlfriend attempt to cover the multitude of love bites he left on her neck. After the night before, as well as that morning, Levy was so thoroughly covered in marks she was forced to wear jeans to cover the bruises on her thighs, unfortunately she didn't have a top that concealed the rest, so she had to try and use make up on whatever else she could.<p>

"Gajeel, its embarrassing going out with all these exposed. Just be happy I'm not covering the ones on my stomach and chest." The bluenette explained in annoyance, the only reason she wasn't covering the others was because the make-up wouldn't stay in those areas, plus it was taking far too long just to conceal the ones on her neck. "Did you seriously have to give me all these?"

"Gi hee," the dragon slayer chuckled, shrugging indifferently before sauntering up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist. "Couldn't help it; you taste good."

"Gajee~l," Levy moaned as he began to nibble on her ear, "we need to eat eventually."

"We can just order room service," he grunted back, moving his hands to begin unbuttoning her jeans, his mouth laving a trail down her neck to her shoulder; messing up the work she had put into covering his marks.

"But…uuughhh" she tried to argue back but was stopped when his hand moved to play with her clit, causing her to melt into his embrace without any further argument.

"But what?" Gajeel teased as he turned her around, lifting her to sit on the counter-top in the bathroom so he could move his kisses and nibbles down to her chest, nipping at her breasts through her shirt.

"Nnnngghhh," Levy garbled out, her hands twisting in his hair as he chuckled at her mindless state before focusing back on driving them both into another frenzy of passion.

About a half an hour later found the couple fixing their clothes, Levy once again attempting to hide the most obvious marks on her neck, so they could finally get some lunch.

"Geez, I was going to say we do need to check in with Natsu and Lucy about the mission," the script mage huffed in annoyance, glaring at Gajeel as he chuckled at her. "You better be satisfied now, because we need to focus on the mission, got it?"

"Yeah yeah, the sooner this shit's done with the sooner we can get back home and do what we want to."

"Good! Now let's go, I'm starving to death thanks to you!" Levy chastised as she dragged the pouting dragon slayer out of the room.

Before they could make it all the way to the dining room, though, they found themselves blocked by two strange looking men who stood in the hall leading to the lobby. The men were completely identical, standing close to 6 feet in height with rather lanky builds; their hair was green and cropped at their chin on the left side, and long and yellow on the right half. Both men wore green suits with yellow shirts, completely matching the coloring of their hair. All in all they gave off a rather ominous and strange feeling to the pair as they gave the couple large, bright grins; their black eyes glinting with excitement.

"Gajeel!" The one on the right exclaimed, his name-tag reading Mick.

"Levy!" The one on the left, Nick, followed before they both began to talk at once.

"Our beautiful lady manager, Sophie-sama, has asked us to bestow a gift upon you as thanks for visiting our lovely resort." Their nasally voices sang out as the men jointly held out an envelope to the couple. "These are tickets to our hot springs; your friends have already received their own as Sophie-sama wishes you partake as a group. We hope you have enjoyed your stay thus far!"

As soon as Gajeel took the envelope, holding it between two fingers away from his body as if it would explode right there, the twins bowed courteously to them before taking off.

"Creepy." Gajeel muttered as he and Levy stared suspiciously at the gift they were left with. "I hate twins as it is, they always smell the same; hard to tell if it's just one or both you're dealing with. Those two, though, seriously freak me out."

"Yeah, we'll have to find Natsu and Lucy to see what they think about this. It's definitely got to be a set-up." Levy mused, taking the envelope from her partner to look at the rather innocent looking tickets.

The dragon slayer merely grunted before wrapping his arm around his girlfriend, guiding her towards the restaurant they were originally heading to.

"I didn't smell them in their room when we passed by, once we eat we'll search them out."

Levy nodded in agreement as she closely examined the slips of paper, trying to find any sort of clue the tickets themselves may hold.

"We don't really have much of a choice, I guess." Levy mused, leaning against Gajeel as his grip on her shoulder tightened as he realized what she meant. "We're going to have to take the bait."

"I really hate this mission right now." Gajeel mumbled as they entered the dining room and dropped any further conversation on the subject for the time being.

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><p>"So we're really going to do this?" Natsu asked solemnly as he sat on his hotel bed, looking around at his girlfriend and teammates as they discussed their plans for the next day.<p>

As soon as Natsu and Lucy returned from meeting Erza's group, they found Gajeel and Levy waiting for them outside the rooms wanting to discuss the tickets to the hot springs. The four mages quickly made their way into Natsu's room to come up with some sort of plan, all knowing it was more than likely a trap.

"We really don't have much of a choice," Gajeel sighed, slumped over on the couch with Levy sitting on the floor between his legs. "I don't like it any more than you do, but we gotta get this done and over with."

"Erza and the others will be waiting outside the grounds for any signal to come in and help, but so far it looks like we only have to worry about three people," Lucy explained. "I would like to think between the four of us we can handle them."

"You'd think, but we don't know what kind of magic we might be up against," the iron mage began, clenching his fist as his annoyance at his potential adversaries got to him. "If that crazy manager is in fact a second or third generation dragon slayer, she could end up being tough. Natsu and I, together, just barely managed to take down Laxus. Sting and Rogue are also tough, so if she's anything like them we may have a harder time then we'd like."

"And you said with the twins it's hard to tell if you're dealing with one or both by their smell," Levy interjected. "That means they have an advantage in surprise attacks."

Gajeel merely grunted his agreement with her statement, leaning down to pull the girl up into his lap in the hopes of getting some reassurance from her presence. He, like Natsu, couldn't help but feel worried for his girlfriend's safety as they considered all the possible scenarios they could be facing. The fire dragon slayer had kept himself wrapped around the blonde spirit mage since meeting with Sophie, and Gajeel certainly couldn't blame him for that reaction.

"So, the plan then is go to the hot springs late morning," Natsu began to summarize what they had discussed. "At the least we try to always keep together in pairs in case they try to separate us, plus three of Lucy's spirits are prepared to open their own gates if things get out of hand. Loke will stay to help Lucy fight, Virgo will get Erza's group for back up, and Capricorn will find anyone who got separated from us."

"Hopefully it doesn't come to that, but it's reassuring to have Bunny Girl's spirits out there," the iron mage put in. "If they try to separate us, having that extra means to communicate will be to our advantage, especially if they aren't expecting it."

"Alright, then it's settled," Lucy chimed in, "we'll meet up tomorrow for breakfast then head to the springs. Hopefully with this we can wrap up the mission and enjoy a day off before heading back."

With everyone's reluctantly excited agreement, Levy and Gajeel headed off to their room, leaving Lucy and Natsu to settle in for some much needed rest. The pink haired dragon slayer kept a firm grip on the blonde as they drifted to sleep, both too tired and too worried to discuss anything further.

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><p><strong>Again, one last heads up to my readers, my next mini fic I plan to publish this weekend will be all crack... I felt an urge to try my hand at it, just so you are warned when something comes up that is quite far from my normal form of writing.<strong>


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry, another short chapter, but I've decided to break the mission into 3 chapters because I'm having such a hard time with it. I really suck at writing action, apparently, especially with multiple people involved, so this chapter is focused on separating everyone and giving you guys a good idea of what's going on at the resort. Seriously, writer's block sucks sometimes, but now that I have this chapter done, I have a better idea of how I want the next two chapters to play out, so hopefully I'll be a bit quicker with my next update. Anyway, please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Do not own Fairy Tail.**

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><p>Shortly after meeting for a quick breakfast, the group of Fairy Tail mages found themselves standing outside the entrance to the resort's hot springs; a luxury most had to pay extra to indulge in, or receive a special invitation just as they had. Waiting outside the gates to the building housing the changing rooms were the twins, Nick and Mick, who Gajeel and Levy had received their tickets from. The identical men still had their wide grins plastered onto their faces as they gestured for the two couples to enter.<p>

"Ladies, this way," Mick chirped, sweeping his arms in a grand gesture to indicate the door on his left.

"Gentlemen, this way," Nick chimed in, making an identical movement towards the door on their right for the male mages.

The two dragon slayers found themselves in one of those rare occasions where they were in perfect agreement with each other as they shared a blank look; they really didn't like the twins.

"Tsh, guess it's gonna be that way then," Gajeel mumbled as he and Natsu moved towards their changing area, ruffling Levy's hair as they separated.

"Seriously, we're couples, why are they separating us like this?" Natsu grumbled back.

As the mages changed into bathing suits, no one willing to enter the shared bathing pools nude with others around, they kept themselves tense and ready for any move to attack; but nothing came. After only a few minutes, the couples found themselves reuniting by the outdoor pools, confused yet also relieved that everyone was safe.

"Well, let's go, Lucy!" Natsu suddenly shouted, pulling Lucy by the hand as he jumped into the hot pool.

"Ahhh! Wait a minute, Natsu!" The blonde shrieked as she was pulled into the water, punching her boyfriend in the head once they had surfaced. "Give me a little more warning next time, idiot!"

The fire mage only laughed before starting a splash war with the girl, causing her to shout more protests at his playful behavior while the other couple just watched the chaos from the side.

"Ummm, aren't hot springs supposed to be for relaxing?" Levy questioned curiously, glancing up at her scowling boyfriend as she spoke.

"Heh, as far as that idiot's concerned, that's probably the closest thing to relaxing he's gonna get." Gajeel answered, drawing an amused nod from the woman before she pulled him towards the water with a bright smile.

"Well, then, I guess it won't hurt to have a little fun while we're here."

With that said the other two mages quickly jumped in and joined their friends in having fun. Gajeel and Natsu spent the next 10 minutes having an all out splash war while the girls just attempted to stay out of the cross fire. Eventually the men got bored with each other, and turned on their own partners, separating to opposite ends of the pool as they moved to play with the girls.

"Ahhh! Gajeel, put me down!" Levy hollered from her position above the dragon slayer, who had lifted her out of the water and over his head.

"Gi hee, if ya say so," the iron dragon agreed as he released the girl and sent her splashing into the water.

When the bluenette resurfaced she leveled her darkest glare on the man, who was still chuckling at her, before splashing him directly in the face. The tall man found himself choking on the warm water, glaring at the now pouting girl once he had cleared the water from his lungs.

"That was mean, Gajeel." Levy sulked, turning her back on him as she waited for his next move.

"Awww, come on, Shrimp." Gajeel groaned, not happy that she was suddenly annoyed with him. When she didn't turn around again, he slowly moved towards her, wrapping his arms around her slender frame as he leaned in to kiss her cheek in apology. "Sorry."

Levy couldn't hold back her giggles as it was his turn to pout, and she let herself turn in his embrace to steal a quick kiss, cheering him up immensely. The iron mage moved them to sit on one of the underwater shelves, pulling her into his lap as he let the mood change once again. Gajeel allowed himself to completely relax as Levy lay atop him, his arms wrapped around her tightly, her head on his shoulder while one of her hands idly traced random patterns on his bare chest.

"Hmmm, now this is better," the script mage hummed quietly, nuzzling against his neck as he grunted his own agreement.

The hot mineral water was finally starting to have a calming affect on the couples, as Natsu and Lucy had also taken to cuddling up together on the farther end. As the blonde mage laid out on one of the rocks, she idly realized something felt off about the atmosphere in the pool.

"Neh, Natsu?" Lucy began, turning to look at her suddenly drowsy boyfriend next to her. "Something's not right here."

"Hmmm," Natsu hummed, rolling over to wrap an arm around the woman while meeting her eyes with his. "What do ya mean, Lucy?"

"I feel weird…" she tried to explain, her brows scrunching in confusion as she tried to organize her suddenly cloudy thoughts. "I feel… really sleepy."

"…"

"Natsu?" Lucy asked when she didn't get any response from her boyfriend, suddenly feeling completely alert as she took in the completely passed out man next to her. "Natsu?"

The spirit mage quickly sat up, shaking Natsu in an effort to wake him. The dragon slayer didn't even stir at the jostling, not even an annoyed groan escaped from his lips. Lucy knew he could be a deep sleeper, but considering the situation they were in, it was highly unlikely for him to let his guard down this much. The woman quickly turned her attention to the other couple across the pool, spying Gajeel nodding off with his head leaning back against the side of the pool; Levy still drawing patterns on his chest, though her movements were slowing drastically.

"LEVY!" Lucy hollered at her friend, jumping into the pool to reach her and try to force her awake. "Levy! Don't fall asleep!"

"Hmmm… Lu-chan?" Levy began, turning cloudy eyes to the frightened blonde.

"Levy, something's very wrong here! Natsu's passed out and not waking up! Try to wake Gajeel, and quickly!"

As the celestial mage spoke, she shook the girl harshly, forcing Levy to clear the fog in her own mind as she took in what she was being told. Once she felt alert enough, the bluenette realized that Lucy was right; something seemed very off, and she quickly turned her attention to her sleeping boyfriend.

"Gajeel!" Levy began, pulling away from Lucy to try and shake the other dragon slayer awake. "Gajeel! Wake up!"

"It's no use, girlies." A mocking tone echoed around the hot springs, drawing the two women's attention to the blonde resort manager as she entered the area. "Just like the gardens, these springs are enchanted. Though, how you two are still alert, I'm not sure."

"You!" Lucy growled, not happy that they were caught completely vulnerable within the pool. "We knew there was something fishy about you."

"Ara! So suspicious!" Sophie cried out in mock innocence before sending them a sly grin. "I've been waiting for some dragon slayers to fall into my web, and finally I have two! Better yet, they're first generation dragon slayers; so rare, so special."

As the manager leisurely approached, the twins following close behind, Levy moved to try and wake Gajeel again, while Lucy swam back to Natsu to do the same.

"Gajeel! Please Gajeel! Wake up!" Levy cried out over and over, watching as the twins broke apart to move towards each couple.

As one of the twins made his way towards her, increasing his pace as she continued to pound on the sleeping dragon's chest, Levy moved to send a fire spell at the man. Before she could release the script, though, she found herself restrained from behind by what she thought was the other twin. But when she turned to look, she managed to catch sight of Lucy in one twin's grasp while Loke had been called to fight another. It was then that Levy realized there were now four of the twins in the room, one restraining her in the pool, one restraining Lucy on the opposite side, another fighting off the lion stellar spirit, and the last watching as she fruitlessly struggled against her captor.

The script mage realized they were in a hopeless situation and she quickly moved to bite down on her captor's arm, forcing him to release her so she could try to resume waking her boyfriend and get at least one more fighter on their side. As she continued to shake Gajeel roughly, calling out his name while simultaneously setting off various script attacks, Levy quickly figured out that there was no fighting this. Her struggles began to slow, her head began to fog, and she knew she was succumbing to the enchantment again.

"I said it's no use," Sophie called out from where she stood watching the girls struggle in vain. "Soon enough the vapors from the pool will once again render you unconscious, and then I'll take my prizes."

"What… What are you after?" Levy forced herself to ask while slumping lifelessly against Gajeel, her opponents no longer attempting to take her as they instead waited for her to fall asleep again.

"Hmmm, magic, of course." Sophie answered honestly, no longer needing to hide the truth. "There's a powerful magic behind those in love, and that magic is even more powerful in dragon slayers who have found the one they're meant to be with."

"But… but why?" Levy continued to question, glancing across the way to see Loke had somehow been sent back to the spirit world as Lucy fell unconscious against Natsu.

"I'm sure your beloved noticed my scent of lacrima; it's not quite dragon slaying lacrima, but with their magic I can finally complete it and be a true dragon slayer." The blonde informed her as she knelt at their end of the pool, running a gentle hand over Gajeel's face as she smiled in delight. "You need the power of a dragon to be a true dragon slayer, and with no dragons around, then I have no choice but to settle for the next best thing- their children."

Levy went wide eyed as she realized what Sophie had been planning all along; the entire mission had been a trap from the start, a trap set to capture a dragon slayer, and now she had two. The bluenette didn't have time to react to her new knowledge before she was once again being pulled from Gajeel, causing her to frantically cling to him in one last desperate effort to wake him.

"GAJEEL!" She screamed out, practically clawing at him as one of the twins attempted to remove her once again.

Her frightened scream was enough to partially rouse the dragon slayer. As Gajeel struggled to lift his heavy head, he allowed his cloudy eyes to take in the terrified woman being pulled away from him. The iron mage was too far gone, though, to try and protect her. Even as he desperately willed his arm to rise up and grab hold of her, Gajeel only succeeded in catching her fingers before she was dragged away.

"Shrimp?" Gajeel managed to grunt in confusion before the enchantment once again took hold of him. As his head fell back and darkness overtook his sight, the last thing he heard was Levy once again screaming his name in terror.

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><p><strong>Alright, so there's that, please read and review. Next chapter the brunt of the action will play out, Erza and Gray will get some time in the spotlight, too. So look forward to it, I hope to have it done by next weekend at the absolute latest.<strong>


	16. Chapter 16

**I'm so so so so sorry! My weeks kinda got away from me with work, but the good thing is that halfway through forcing myself to write this chapter, my muse came back to me! YAY! So there's going to be one more mission oriented chapter after this one, a 'couple day' at the resort chapter, then they'll be going back to the guild. At least that's my plan. The 'revenge' will be broken into two chapters. So this story is slowly winding down.**

**And thank you for all of your reviews, you all are wonderful and keep me going with this story. And yes, I know my cliffie last chapter was evil... heehee.**

**So for this chapter- You finally get to see Wendy in action! Along with Gray and Erza... but Wendy's more important because she's been there the entire time but hasn't said a word... I seriously didn't do that on purpose, I just kinda forgot about her... but she get's to kick butt in this chapter to make up for it.**

**Anyway, please enjoy, I shall try to be quicker with the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Mashima-sensei (who I hate right now because I lost a bet because of the last chapter and now have to write a Rogue x Levy fic; I might have to fly to Japan next week if I lose my next bet- I really don't want to write a Gajeel x Natsu fic *shudder*).**

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><p>"Uuugghhh," Gajeel groaned as he awoke, blinking confusedly as he took in the area he found himself in. As he picked himself up, wiping a hand down his face to rid himself of the last bits of drowsiness he had; he saw that he was no longer in the hot spring, instead he was in a rather large cavern. He vaguely recalled having fallen asleep in the warm water, Levy at his side; after that everything became hazy.<p>

"Where the hell am I?" He asked to himself, receiving a loud snore and indiscernible mumble from his left as an answer.

Turning towards the sound, Gajeel found Natsu next to him, still sound asleep as he snored and blew a rather large bubble from his nose. The dragon slayer took it upon himself to wake the pink haired mage, punching him in the face as he simultaneously examined their surroundings. When the other dragon slayer finally awoke with a loud yelp, Gajeel realized that the girls were missing; their scents completely absent from the cave.

"What the hell, Gajeel?" Natsu hollered, glaring at the other man as he rubbed his bruising nose. "Ya wanna fight?"

"We don't have time for that, Salamander!" Gajeel yelled back while jumping to his feet so he could start his search for Levy. "We're not at the spring anymore, and even worse- the girls are gone!"

Natsu went wide eyed as he looked around and confirmed what the older slayer was telling him; jumping to his feet, as well, with the same plan of looking for their partners in mind. Without another word the dragon slayers moved in separate directions, both understanding that if they had any hope of finding Levy and Lucy they would have to split up to cover more ground; before either could take more than two steps, though, they found themselves surrounded by a rune barrier.

"SHIT!" Natsu yelled, pressing himself against the invisible wall in the hopes that he could miraculously break through it. "Why do I keep getting trapped in these damn things?"

"Relax, fire brain, this is why Levy taught us how to rewrite those runes." Gajeel explained as he looked down at the runes on the ground, trying to figure out what Levy had showed him only a few days earlier.

"Too bad for you those aren't the same runes." Sophie's voice rang out as she entered the space, sauntering right up to the invisible wall encasing the two men. "Tell me, did you sleep well?"

Natsu and Gajeel only growled darkly at the hotel manager, both pressed against the barrier as they futilely tried to intimidate the woman.

"Where's Lucy?" Natsu hollered at her.

"And Levy!" Gajeel followed, obviously more concerned about the blue haired woman.

"Don't worry about them so much; I have my men taking good care of them." She explained, waving them off as she moved towards a corner of the cavern. "You should be far more concerned about yourselves at this point."

With that said, she dispelled a concealment charm that seemed to have been placed on the far end of the space, where a strange machine was built into the rock walls. Next to the large device two sets of arm, leg, and neck restraints were bolted into the wall with cords connecting them to the machine.

As Natsu and Gajeel took in the device that looked to belong to a mad scientist, their eyes widened dramatically as they realized what was about to happen to them. Natsu gulped as he especially knew what Sophie had planned, memories of his imprisonment in Edolas coming to mind as he watched the blonde woman move around the cavern to take down another concealment spell, revealing a large lacrima stone sticking out from a deep pit in the middle of the room.

When the two first generation dragon slayers looked at each other, Gajeel found himself feeling very uncomfortable with the look in Natsu's eye; he knew that if they didn't get out of there quickly, they were in for a world of pain.

"Hahahaha! I see you two have figured it out; too bad it's much too late for any hope of escape." Sophie laughed out, grinning wickedly at her trapped victims who could only hope for a miracle at that point.

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><p>Lucy awoke, lying on her stomach, to the feel of shackles on her wrists, the metal rattling as someone began to take them off. The blonde looked back to see her spirit Capricorn diligently removing her restraints before moving to the script mage lying next to her.<p>

"Carpricorn?" She asked; confused as to what was happening. The 10th zodiac spirit merely raised a finger to her lips, requesting she keep her voice down, pointing towards their identical guards napping a few yards away.

Lucy nodded, instead taking in the cavern they were being kept in while glancing at the goat who was using his claws to pick the locks on Levy's handcuffs. As soon as the other girl was free, the blonde moved to gently wake her, signaling to keep quiet once the bluenette was alert again.

"Thank you, Capricorn." Lucy whispered to her spirit. "By the way, I didn't know you could pick locks."

"Lucy-sama, as a servant to the great Heartfilia family it is meh duty to do anything to assist you." He explained, bowing to the girl before moving on to explain what was happening. "Leo is currently recovering in the spirit world, he should be available to you soon, and in the meantime I am here to assist you. Virgo has already tunneled out to find the others; she will lead them into the caves to our location."

"Sophie was after Natsu and Gajeel the entire time." Levy said quietly, drawing her friend's attention as she worried about her boyfriend. "She wants their magic to become a complete dragon slayer."

"Don't worry, Levy, we'll find them." Lucy assured the girl, gaining a determined smile and nod before the two mages and one spirit moved to quietly sneak out of the room.

"Oh oh, look who's up!"

"Don't think we'll let you run off so easily now."

The girls stopped dead in their tracks as their captors took notice of them. The twins quickly moved in front of them, cutting off their escape route before they could make a run for it. Hearing movement behind them, Levy and Lucy turned to see two more copies of each twin circling, keeping them trapped in the middle of the large cavern.

"No one can escape our clone magic." Nick, Mick, and the four copies happily called out, laughing together as Levy and Lucy stood back to back, Capricorn standing in defense for them.

"Levy, when there's an opening, make a run for it." Lucy whispered to her friend, the bluenette glancing back in confusion. The spirit mage merely winked while pulling out one of her keys, reminding the other girl that in a fight against multiple opponents, Lucy had an extra edge with her spirits. Levy nodded quickly in understanding before preparing to sprint for the exit the moment her opening came.

"Gemini!" Lucy called out, smiling as her own twins came out, transforming into her immediately and calling out Scorpio to help. "Alright, let's get these guys out of Levy's way!"

Lucy and Gemini quickly restrained two of the copies behind them with their whips, leaving Capricorn to take out the other two while Scorpio aimed his sand cannon at the original twins blocking the path out. With Scorpio's quick Sand Buster attack, the twin mages were sent flying into a wall, opening the path for Levy to make a sprint out of the cave.

Back inside Lucy turned back to her own opponents in time to see Mick and Nick pull themselves from the rubble of the wall they were blown into, quickly replicating themselves 4 more times to surround the shocked celestial mage.

"She won't be able to do much on her own, our little brother is keeping watch in the main cavern; he'll certainly stop her." The men and clones spoke in unison before advancing on the young woman and her spirits.

* * *

><p>The last members of the team found themselves led into a massive cavern system by Lucy's pink hair maid spirit, stopping at the sight of a massive body sitting in the middle of the main chamber. The lone guard was easily twice the size of Elfman, and as he sat in the room he seemed more interested in playing with his bare toes like a toddler than stop the mages from entering. The group, nonetheless, kept their guard up as they looked around the room to see four tunnels leading from the room.<p>

"Virgo, do you know which way they took everyone?" Erza turned to ask the spirit who shook her head while pointing to the tunnel on the far left.

"I only know that Hime-sama was taken down that tunnel with Levy-san, I am unsure of the other two's whereabouts. I must return to the spirit realm now, please help Hime-sama." Virgo explained, before bowing to the group and quickly vanishing.

"I think I can smell Natsu-san and Gajeel-san down that tunnel." Wendy offered, pointing towards a tunnel just a little to their right.

"That's good, we'll have to separate then and give each pair our support." The red head continued, moving towards the center tunnel Wendy had indicated. "I'll head towards Natsu and Gajeel's location with Lily. Gray; you, Happy, Wendy, and Charle head towards Lucy and Levy."

As the group began to move, though, Levy came running from the tunnel Virgo had indicated, the small woman skidding to a stop at the sight of the other mages.

"Guys!" Levy called out to them, obviously ecstatic to see them, before remembering what she was doing. "I have to get to Gajeel and Natsu! They're in danger!"

"Wendy said they were down that tunnel, you can come with Lily and me to find them." Erza told her, before looking behind the girl for the missing mage. "Where is Lucy?"

"See's still fighting the twins. She told me to make a run for it the second there was an opening so I could get to the boys. The twins use clone magic so she's better suited for it with her spirits."

"Right. Gray… Wendy, hurry and help Lucy."

"Huh? Where did you guys come from?" The giant man in the room finally asked, having just taken his attention from his feet. "No matter, Rick will make sure you go no further. Rick's big brothers would be very unhappy if he didn't stop you."

"The big guy doesn't seem too bright," Gray said with a smirk, preparing to attack the guard quickly so they could be on their way. "Should be easy enough taking him out."

Before Gray could get his attack off, Rick placed his hands on the rocky floor and sent a pulse of magic into the earth below them. The magic energy rapidly pulsed out, shaking the cavern and causing the mages to fall to the ground; only Erza had remained standing as she re-quiped into her Black Wing Armor and flew above them.

"Gray! You guys get to Lucy! Lily; take Levy towards the other two! I'll take care of this guy and catch up with you in a bit." The red head called out to the others, prompting the Exceeds to each take a mage and flew them off towards their respective tunnels while dodging the falling rocks.

"Rick thinks you are a bit too self assured to think just you can handle him." The guard said while getting to his feet and slowly advancing towards the lone woman.

"Well, I think Rick's a bit stupid to underestimate me." Erza replied with a soft smile, positioning her sword to move in for her attack.

* * *

><p>As Lily and Levy made their way through the tunnel, the bluenette quickly explained what had happened in the hot springs and what Sophie's plan was for the two dragon slayers.<p>

"If that's the case, then we'd better hurry. It sounds quite similar to what the king in Edolas had done to Natsu and Wendy, and it's certainly going to be painful for them if we don't get to them quickly." Lily told her, jumping to her shoulder so he wouldn't slow the girl down as they sprinted through the corridor.

"Yes, I remember hearing them screaming when their magic was being extracted then." Erza said to the pair, shocking them as she had quietly caught up to them.

"E- Erza! That was quick!" Levy stuttered out, staring at the S-class mage wide eyed.

"Humph, he was overconfident in his abilities." She explained as they approached the end of the tunnel, the mages breaking into the large cavern with the lacrima sitting in the center.

"Levy!" Gajeel suddenly called out, drawing the trio's attention to the rune cage in one corner that housed the dragon slayers. The iron mage was noticeably relieved that the small woman was okay, and had Erza and Lily with her.

"Where's Lucy?" Natsu asked, growling as he pressed his face against the rune wall while the group ran over to them.

"She's back fighting those twins. Gray and Wendy went to help her." Levy quickly explained while examining the runes they were trapped in. "Where's Sophie?"

"She went running off when the cave started shaking; mumbling something about a stupid idiot needing to learn how to hold back." Gajeel responded, pointing to a small, hidden doorway near the tunnel they entered from. His eyes never left the blue head of hair studying the ground the runes were written on, though, as he took in every bit of her appearance to make sure she wasn't injured. "I would have tried to rewrite the runes like you showed me, but that woman said they were different from the others."

"Hmmmm," the script mage hummed in thought, her finger running along the codes. "It's not really that different, most of the other characters are bluffs, but just enough to trick someone who doesn't know what to look for. It will take me a little bit more time to break through since I have to partially translate the extra characters."

"Tch, you really did pick the smart one, Gajeel." Sophie's voice suddenly called out as the manager reentered the cavern, glaring daggers at the group as they turned to her, Erza quickly requiping into her other armor again. "And I see you had some back up on the outside."

"Levy, I'll hold her off while you rewrite those runes." The older woman ordered the other girl as she glared back at the blonde standing by the lacrima.

"Oi, Titania." Gajeel called to his guild mate, Levy quickly moving to do as told. "As soon as we're out of here she's our opponent."

Erza nodded slightly before moving to draw Sophie away from the others, not wanting to hurt Levy as she worked on the runes.

"Like hell I'm going to let you do that!" Sophie yelled at the girl, raising her hand into the air as small glass shards began to form around her, flying up to her palm in preparation for her to attack the script mage.

Erza moved quickly to stop the woman's magic but was surprised when her sword blocked the first attack, Sophie quickly sent another attack from her other hand. The red head tried to move and stop the attack that was heading straight for Levy, but was stopped by another shower of glass coming at her.

The dragon slayers being freed could only watch helplessly as Levy worked, not paying any mind to Erza's battle behind her. Before the glass shards could reach the girl, though, Lily transformed and blocked the bluenette with his Musica sword.

"Thank you, Lily." Levy said to the large Exceed without looking up from her work, gaining looks of shock from both dragon slayers as they realized she was fully aware of the attack coming at her, but hadn't panicked because she knew Lily was there.

"Gi hee, that's my cat!" Gajeel chuckled; truly proud of his partner. He was also happy to see that his girlfriend trusted his Exceed's abilities enough to protect her without worry.

"Don't worry; I should have you two out in a minute." The bluenette reassured them, turning determined eyes up to her boyfriend, smiling brightly at him before going back to work.

* * *

><p>Back in Lucy's cavern, the blonde mage was still holding off the clones with Scorpio's sand along with Loke, who had traded places with Capricorn to provide a better battle spirit for the girl. Gemini had returned, too, leaving Lucy to keep the two spirits summoned on her own. So far she had had no problem taking out the clones, but the twin mages were difficult to keep track of and she had to defeat them to stop the relentless attacks of their copies. Lucy knew she was in trouble if she didn't get any help soon; she was starting to feel the effects of having so many spirits called, and her magic was quickly reaching it's limits.<p>

"Lucy! Behind you!" Loke suddenly called out while fighting off some clones on the opposite side of the room.

The celestial mage quickly turned to see one of their opponents rushing in on her. He was too close for the girl to get off any sort of attack with her whip, so she could only hold her ground while blocking her head from any damage from his physical attack.

"Ice make: Lance!" Gray called out as he and Wendy burst into the room, hitting the attacker before he got to the blonde.

The man was sent careening into the far wall, completely unconscious. As the body stayed in its place, half of the copies vanished on their own, telling them that they had finally gotten rid of one of the twins.

"Gray!" Lucy cried out in relief before spotting and greeting the youngest dragon slayer and the Exceeds that came in with them. "Did you see Levy?"

"Yeah, she went with Lily and Erza to find the others." The ice make mage explained while fighting off another clone.

"Good," Lucy responded, moving closer to Scorpio to help cover him as he took out more clones with his sand.

As the two older mages fought off their attackers, Wendy stood in the middle of the cavern, staring at one of the clones standing across the room, her head tilted in confusion as she scented the air around her.

"What is it Wendy?" Charle asked her partner from the ground below, her arms crossed as she watched the chaos of the battle around them.

"He smells different from the others." The young girl explained; turning her head to the twin crumpled against the wall from Gray's attack, frowning as she tried to figure out what she had noticed. "But he smells just like him. The others smell like pure magic, but these two smell like life."

As soon as she said that, it finally clicked in Wendy's mind why the man standing on the outskirts of the room smelled different, it also explained why he wasn't actively attacking as much as the others. That man wasn't a clone; he was one of the twins.

"Charle! Fly me over him, quickly!" Wendy asked her partner, gaining a confused nod from the white cat before being lifted up and over the mage that hadn't noticed her movement yet. As the man watched his clones take on the other two Fairy Tail mages, Wendy quietly inspired from above, preparing her own attack.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" The young girl called out as she released her breath attack, surprising the remaining twin who looked up in time to see the attack coming down on him. It was too late for him, though, as the strong magic hit him and knocked him out with one blow.

As Lucy and Gray watched all the clones around them disappear, they looked at Wendy in shock before cheering in celebration for her.

"Alright, Wendy!" Lucy called out, while her spirits quickly vanished to let their master have a break. "Let's go find the others!"

With a quick agreement, the group raced back through the tunnel into the main chamber. As they turned towards the corridor that led towards the other dragon slayers, though, Wendy stopped suddenly and turned towards one of the other tunnels in the room.

"What is it, Wendy?" Gray asked as he and Lucy stopped with the girl.

The young mage tilted her head in confusion before answering.

"I think I hear someone down there. They're calling for help." She explained, looking at her teammates to see what they thought on the matter.

Lucy and Gray shared a look before looking back at the tunnel before them that lead to the dragon slayers. With a resolute nod, the two mages turned back to Wendy, intent on investigating what the young girl found.

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><p><strong>Alright- next chapter Natsu and Gajeel get to kick some ass, and Wendy and co. find something surprising.<strong>


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay, last mission chapter. It's really almost over... so sad, yet I'm quite proud of myself for getting this far without losing track of it. Thank you again my wonderful reviewers!**

**Sorry, it's short, but the next chapter will have some spiciness mixed in to make up for it since this is a romance oriented story. I'm still trying to decide on the NaLu citrus, but I don't think I'll do a full lemon in this one, doesn't feel right to me at the moment. But, next chapter will for sure have adult content no matter what... and as I write it, who knows what will happen, you may get a lemon anyway, no promises, though.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail... blah blah blah.**

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><p>"Damnit!" Erza cursed as her sword swung through yet another glass clone, a trick the aspiring dragon slayer had devised to distract Titania, attacking her back relentlessly right as the red head realized her mistake.<p>

It had only been a few minutes, but Erza was breathing heavily as she fought the hotel manager. The battle itself should have been easy enough for her, but with her promise to Gajeel she found herself holding back so that the dragon slayers could take out some of their anger on her. She had already decided that if Levy didn't have the runes broken in another 5 minutes, she would finish the job herself, Gajeel would just have to deal with it.

"Ara! Come now, you're supposed to be the famed knight of Fairy Tail, Erza Scarlet; the mighty Titania. Is this really all you're good for?" Sophie teased, laughing as Erza swung at her again, only to be met with another false body.

This time the blonde decided to switch up her attack target, instead aiming her glass shards at Levy's back, once again hoping to stop the young girl from freeing the irate dragons. Luckily Lily was still on guard, blasting away the attack before it could even knick the script mage.

Meanwhile Gajeel and Natsu were on edge, both desperately wanting to get out and fight, as well as see to the safety of their partners and girlfriends. Gajeel was especially feeling the pressure as he was prevented from protecting the bluenette from every stray attack that headed her way, it was in his instincts to keep her safe, but he was glad to see his long awaited Exceed was handling the situation for him.

"I'm almost there, just one more rune," Levy mumbled to the men, not looking up to see them nod as they continued to watch the other two women fight. "Got it! Erza!"

As the script mage finished rewriting the runes, she called out to the S-class mage, letting her know that she was done. As the runes fell, Natsu immediately launched himself at Sophie, shoving her into the far wall and away from his childhood friend. Gajeel took a short moment to ruffle Levy's hair, grinning at her before jumping into the melee with the manager.

"Oi! Titania! Get Levy out of here! We'll meet you guys outside when we're done!" The dragon slayer hollered as he punched through a wall of glass that vainly attempted to block him.

"Right! Levy, Lily, let's go!" Erza agreed, calling out to the other two in the room, waving them towards the exit as she blocked a spray of glass spikes Sophie sent out in her anger.

"Damn it all!" Sophie screamed before turning back to her opponents, understanding that she was easily outmatched against two extremely angry dragons. She had understood the risk that came with targeting mages in love, especially dragon slayers; she knew that the emotions that came with it made their magic stronger because they had something they wished to protect. The blonde hadn't planned on how strong the two girls were, though, and especially hadn't expected them to have friends outside the resort prepared for this very situation. She had been outwitted, and she hated it.

"I won't let them get away with this," she growled out, punching a hand into the ground before unleashing massive sharp glass spikes throughout the cavern, smiling cruelly as she watched them shoot out from the ground toward the exit the other three mages had just escaped through.

"I don't think so!" Gajeel hollered, twisting around the spikes jutting from the ground as he raced for the opening, his skin fully metalized as he put himself in the attacks path. As his body could only block so much, he raised his arm and unleashed his own metal spikes towards the projectiles, smashing nearly all of them to pieces.

Sophie cried out in rage as she watched the iron dragon slayer pick up the role of defense in the battle, leaving her open to be attacked by Natsu's fire as he leveled a flaming kick at her back. The blonde went skidding across the room again, stopping herself from colliding with the wall as she jumped to her feet.

In a last ditch effort she spread her arms out wide, unleashing a massive cloud of glass that forced the two dragon slayers to shield their eyes from the spray. When the shards dispersed, they looked up again to find themselves surrounded with exact replicas of their enemy. Natsu and Gajeel just glanced at each other, grinning as they silently agreed on a plan of attack while trying not to laugh at the rather pathetic attempt at confusing them.

"Gi hee, seriously think that trick will work on us, stupid woman." Gajeel chuckled before releasing another round of his iron spikes on the mass of glass dolls, shattering every one.

"Well, I'd say it is since you're only breaking apart my copies." Sophie's voice rang out, causing Gajeel's grin to widen as he watched Natsu stalk through the maze of glass, staying out of sight by using the debris scattered from the other slayer's attacks as a cover.

"Yer really not all that bright, ya know," he continued to taunt, successfully keeping her from seeing the pink haired mage who was at that moment standing only a few feet from her. Gajeel chuckled again before giving one last clue to her mistake as Natsu prepared for his attack. "Our noses don't lie; gi hee."

Sophie's eyes widened in shock as Natsu called out his attack, releasing his dragon's roar onto the unsuspecting mage before she could even think to turn around and block.

The fire exploded throughout the room, forcing Gajeel to take cover as his teammate's attack destroyed everything around them; including the magic extractor machine they luckily avoided being shackled to. As the flames died down, the iron mage took in the sight of Natsu standing in the middle of absolute destruction, grinning madly at him as Sophie laid unconscious a few yards from him. The only thing in that cavern that withstood the attack was the lacrima in the center, and even the crystal looked like it had seen better days.

The scene was rather fitting, Natsu was best known for his destructive force, a force Gajeel knew first hand and was quite content not being the reason for it anymore. As he moved forward, forming shackles with his magic to bind the blonde woman with, he found himself dodging a few falling rocks, making him realize it was a very good idea to get Levy out of there before their fight.

"Geez, Salamander, trying to destroy the whole mountain or something?" He teased while putting the restraints on Sophie. Natsu only laughed, just as Gajeel expected, but didn't deny the fact that he probably used a bit more power than absolutely necessary.

"Well, at least we're done! Let's go find the girls!" Natsu said instead, not even waiting for an answer before he took off down the tunnel, his hollering cries echoing back into the cave.

"Damn it! Why do I have to do all the clean up work?"

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you heard someone down here, Wendy-chan?" Lucy asked the young girl as they crept through one of the tunnels.<p>

"Yes, and I'm starting to pick up a scent, too." The sky maiden explained as she led the group along.

After a few minutes of walking through the twists and turns of that particular corridor, they finally broke into a much smaller cave than the one Lucy had awoken in.

"Oh thank God! Please! Help me!" An elderly man called out from the corner cell he was being held in.

Lucy and Wendy gasped at the sight of him, running towards the cage to inspect the scraggly and slightly emaciated man inside. Gray stood back towards the entrance, naturally suspicious of coming across a supposed prisoner without a guard present.

"What happened? Why are you being held here?" Lucy quickly began to ask as she summoned Capricorn to pick the locks on the cell door for her.

"My daughter…" He began, taking a deep breath to keep himself calm in his weakened state. "I'm the owner of the resort I presume you all have been staying at. My daughter had run off when she was a teenager, but she came back a few years ago out of nowhere. At first everything seemed fine, she was working hard for me in the hopes of taking over one day, but then, a few months ago I started noticing things happening. She hired some strange men; twins actually, and then guests started vanishing for days at a time, showing up later completely drained of their magic."

At this point Gray edged closer to the group; listening in intently to the story being told to them while keeping a look out for anyone coming after them. Wendy had begun to cast her healing magic to help alleviate some of the man's pains; just enough to keep him awake until they got out of there.

"I questioned my dear Sophie on it, but she kept denying there was a problem." The old man continued. "Eventually I start following her around; I even put in a request with the mayor to try and get some outside help. When she caught on to my investigations she had her men lock me up in here."

By the end Capricorn had the man freed, vanishing back into the spirit realm with a bow as Lucy and Wendy helped the man from the cell.

"That's awful; her own father," Lucy mumbled sadly, offering her shoulder to help him as they walked.

Before anymore could be said, though, the caves started rattling, rocks falling from the ceiling as it threatened to cave in under some outside force.

"Shit, I'm guessing those two idiots are fighting!" Gray exclaimed, moving quickly to crouch in front of the prisoner and offer his back for him to ride. "We need to get out of here before they bring it down around us. I'll carry the old man while we make a run for it."

Wendy and Lucy could only nod in agreement as Happy and Charle took the hint, grabbing each girl to quickly fly them out as Gray ran behind them. With every turn they took they found themselves having to dodge the dislodged rocks as the tunnel began to cave in. The group managed to run out into the main cavern just in time, the man made corridor completely collapsing behind them as they came to a skidding halt in the entrance.

There they found Erza, Lily, and Levy waiting for them; the twins and their younger brother bound together in the center of the room.

"There you all are!" Erza lectured, narrowing her eyes at Gray and the man he carried. "There's no time to explain, we need to get out of the cave. Natsu and Gajeel should be fine, they can meet us outside."

No one dared argue with the red-head, her glare coupled with the sounds of a hard battle going on deeper in the mountain had them convinced.

Only a few minutes after escaping the crumbling cave, they watched in shock as a large explosion erupted from the entrance, obviously the result of one of Natsu's attacks. Moments after the fire died down, the group waited, not hearing any more crashes, not feeling the ground shake beneath them any longer. The only sounds they heard came from the loosened rocks that fell every so often.

"Luuuuuuuuu~ccccccccccccccccyyyyyyyyyyy!"

At the recognizable sound of the fire dragon slayer's voice echoing out from the mountain cave, the group sighed in relief, watching for any sign of Natsu from the clearing outside. They only had to wait a few more seconds before they spotted his pink hair running out to them, barely any more than a blur as he tackled his blonde best friend and girlfriend to the ground, crushing her in a relieved hug.

"LUCY! You're okay!" Natsu cried out, rubbing his face into her breasts, despite her cries and protests.

"Yes, I'm fine you idiot! Now stop that!" Lucy scolded, pushing his head away from her to maintain some dignity as she fought down her blush. The blonde looked around to see if Levy was in a similar state, choosing to ignore Gray's sly smile and wink at her as she did so. Not seeing Gajeel tackling his own small girlfriend, the celestial mage turned back to her excited partner for an answer. "Where's Gajeel?"

"Oh shit! Gajeel!" Natsu yelled out, going wide eyed as he jumped up and ran back to the cave. A few seconds after the fire dragon disappeared, the group watched as he came flying back out onto his back, obviously having just been punched in the face by the iron dragon slayer who was just then exiting the cave with Sophie in custody.

"Fucking idiot! Leaving me in there to clean up the trash…" Gajeel grumbled before dropping his load and heading straight for his cat and girlfriend, scooping both up them into his arms for an extra tight hug.

"Sophie!" The old man cried out, stumbling to her unconscious form the second he noticed it was her.

"Who's the old man?" Gajeel grunted in confusion, not relinquishing his hold on his two favorite things as he spoke.

"He said something about being the owner." Gray explained with a shrug, turning to the other dragon slayer as he continued, trying desperately not to laugh at the sight of the gruff man hugging the tiny girl and cat nearly to death. "He also claims to be her father."

"I'm sorry, Sir, but we're going to have to take her into custody and turn her over to the magic council." Erza consoled the man, placing an armored hand on his shoulder in comfort.

"It… It's okay. It's for the best." He nodded, wiping a tear from his eye as he brushed the hair from his daughter's peaceful face, turning to the solemn group of mages behind him after a few moments. "My name is Emir, by the way. I must thank you all for helping put a stop to my daughter's schemes. Please, continue your stay at the resort, and anything you want, or need, will be available to you at no cost."

The Fairy Tail mages smiled at Emir before Lucy and Erza helped him off the ground, supporting him as they made their way back to the hotel where he could get some proper medical treatment and food. Wendy went with them, intent on continuing her own treatment on him to help. The men were left to take care of the bad guys, dropping them off with the mayor for the Rune Knights to pick up. Levy was forced into helping them since Gajeel had no interest in letting her out of his sight again, but she didn't argue it, she was just happy that the mission was finished and they could finally go back home.

"You know, it's probably a good thing we found the owner." Levy mused to Gajeel as they followed the arguing pair of Natsu and Gray back. The iron dragon glanced down at her in question, not understanding where she was going with her comment. "He can explain more about that enchantment on the trees for me. I'm curious about something and it might just come in handy for us when we get back."

Gajeel chuckled knowingly as he took in her sly, falsely innocent smile, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as he sent her a conspiratorial grin.

"Really, you two are truly evil… no wonder you're so perfect for each other." Lily mumbled at them, gaining laughter from the couple as they made their way into the hotel.

A few Fairy Tail mages really had no idea what was in store for them in the coming weeks.


	18. Chapter 18

**Okay- I've decided to split the 'couple time' chapter into two so I don't send you all to the hospital for blood transfusions... I don't need my readers dying from another massive nosebleed. Anyway- NaLu citrus fanservice chapter! So, again, if you do not like explicit adult situations- skip the second section. The next chapter will be the GaLe fanservice chapter, so be prepared for that. I decided to get NaLu out of the way, GaLe's will be better anyway, lol. I must say, I'm surprisingly out of practice writing lemony content... I was getting all blushy and embarrassed as I was writing this- even had to read a trashy romance novel to get back some of my shamelessly perverted mind.**

**Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter, and thanks again for all of your reviews. Only three more chapters after this, so almost done!**

**Disclaimer- Still don't own Fairy Tail... but yay! for Gruvia cover and Gray blushing in the last two chapters! I have high hopes for that pairing now.**

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><p>Once Levy and Gajeel made it back to the hotel, the script mage quickly found a hotel employ who could lead them to Emir's room where he was resting after his prolonged captivity. The iron dragon slayer walked behind her, grumbling about wanting to get back to the room and that they could always get the information the next day- after everyone had a chance to rest.<p>

"Stop whining about it, Gajeel," Levy scolded, not bothering to turn and face him as she spoke lowly so the worker wouldn't hear her. "The faster I get my answers, the faster I can finish with this plan. If I'm right about it, I'm going to need Erza to do me a favor, and it's going to take a lot of time convincing her to do this for me."

"Is that why we aren't including her in this?"

"Kind of… plus I'm terrified of her… and I don't know how to get a hold of Jellal." Levy quickly explained, once again not looking at him so she missed his raised eyebrow betraying his amusement at her reasoning.

"Yet yer willing to take on that demon barmaid?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure Laxus isn't going to mind what happens, so he'll hold her back… hopefully."

Gajeel couldn't help but snort in amusement at her unsure response, but didn't bother commenting on it as they finally reached the owner's room. He hoped they got the answers they needed from the guy as quickly as possible, but looking at Wendy still working on Emir as he ate his fill of the dishes surrounding him, the dragon slayer knew they were in for a long night of talking.

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><p>"Soooooo…."<p>

"Soooooo… what?"

Natsu only stared at the celestial mage curled up in the bed before him, a frown on his face as he assessed her for any injuries he might have missed, unable to say anything more to her. The fire mage had just returned to their room, and for whatever reason felt unsure of how he should act with the girl after the day they just had. He was still pretty upset about being separated from her earlier, but he understood that it all worked out fine and it was irrational to still be this worried about her after. They had been on countless missions before where they ended up separated, and Lucy always pulled through, oftentimes coming to his aide when he needed it. But now that she was more than just his best friend he found he couldn't help but think on that extra bit of concern he had for her, thoughts that he had in the past but never dwelled on for long.

Apparently the blonde realized where his thoughts lie, and pushed herself to crawl to the foot of the bed, grabbing his hand and pulling him in with her once he was in reach.

"I'm fine, Natsu. The mission is over; we can enjoy ourselves for one more day, then head back to the guild and help Mira and Gray with their own love lives." Lucy assured him as she wrapped her arms around him in a loose hug, pushing their foreheads together as she smiled up at him.

Her reassurances worked as Natsu quickly broke out into his wide grin, chuckling under his breath while pushing her back onto the bed. Lucy couldn't help but giggle as he leaned in for a quick kiss pulling away before she had a chance to reciprocate. She tried to pout at the chasteness of the kiss, but his sudden cheerfulness was far too infectious, causing her to giggle even more before pulling him down for another.

The playfulness between them quickly changed to passion as Natsu deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue passed her lips to taste her better. The dragon slayer still couldn't contain his grin, especially when he heard the girl's moans of delight as he pushed his body against hers more, burying one hand in her soft tresses while the other traced a scorching path up and down her side. Eventually his hand settled on her hip, using the firm grip to pull her against him more.

Natsu groaned into her mouth at the feel of her body held so tightly against him, her hips rocking slightly against his as they tangled together in their embrace. He pulled away only to trail hot kisses down her neck, letting the hand at her hip move up under her shirt to feel her rapidly heating skin.

The more time they spent together as a real couple over the past few days, the more Natsu found he wanted Lucy, and it was already quite difficult to hold back as it was. Neither of them had had this kind of a relationship before, so he knew they had to take it slow, but he never knew it would take so much work to restrain himself from having his way with her. Now he could understand Gajeel's frustrations during the early part of their time at the hotel, though then it was still far worse for his fellow dragon slayer since he wasn't even in a relationship with the script mage at the time.

As Natsu's hand finally reached up to grab hold of her soft mounds, Lucy let a shiver of delight pass through her as she allowed herself to succumb to his ministrations. The blonde didn't waste any time reciprocating his venturous wanderings, letting her hands remove his shirt so she could feel his rippling muscles under his rough skin.

The pink haired dragon groaned as the woman's nails scratched over his back, encouraging him to go a little further, so he pulled her up to remove her tank top so he could latch onto a nipple with a scorching hot mouth. Lucy only continued to mewl and moan under him, bucking her hips up to his as he laved a searing trail across to her neglected mound, giving it an equal amount of attention, much to the girl's pleasure.

This was the farthest he had been able to get with her in the few days since they had become an official couple. At first he never imagined he'd get so far so fast, but somehow the compatibility and passion they held in their friendship translated easily into their romantic relationship. They were comfortable together, they trusted one another to the very end, and they truly cared for each other at a depth they held for no one else.

Natsu continued to trail down her body; nipping at her hip bones before letting his hands tug at her shorts, signaling his intentions should she decide to slow things down. To his extreme happiness, she merely lift her hips so he could slide the last barrier to her body away, taking a deep breath as he took in the sight of her bare before him. He'd seen it plenty of times before, but never with her permission, so he couldn't help but allow himself to stare in wonder at her. His hands gently ran over her legs and flat stomach, feeling every gentle dip and curve she possessed on her otherworldly form, practically worshipping what was actually his.

Lucy, though, was blushing madly at his intense examination of her body, even though she knew he was only showing his appreciation of her appearance, it was still rather unnerving. Deciding that he had enough time to look, she reached up to pull him back down onto her, forcing his lips to hers in an effort to bring him back to their previous activities.

The dragon slayer understood and didn't waste anymore time, instead he let one hand wander back down to her womanhood, tracing gently around her lips as he swallowed her sighs and moans with their kiss. As he explored her, he quickly learned what Lucy liked best by the sounds she made as well as the natural responses her body gave him.

The only problem he had so far was that all the play was causing his own body to react to her. Her scent was driving him wild, her excited breathing and moans had him on the very edge of control; he needed some relief or he was going to completely lose his mind.

With his fingers pumping in and out of her, bring Lucy into a state of euphoria she never knew; Natsu pressed his hips into her in the hopes of relieving the pressure in his groin that was quickly making him feel a sense of desperation for her he hadn't felt before. He had already taken his mouth from hers so he could breathe harshly against her neck, nipping her occasionally in an effort to maintain his control.

The celestial mage, though, realized that her partner was holding back, the feeling of his hard length against her thigh told her as much. As innocent as she was, she knew enough about men and sex through her romance novels and Cana's stories that she figured she had to do something for him, too. So, with a tentative hand she moved down his body, slipping into his pants to grasp him in the hopes it would help ease his tension.

With her tight hold on him, Natsu let out a loud groan, practically collapsing in relief as some of the pressure left him. While she experimentally moved over him, he let out a hiss before leaning back up to kiss her fiercely, urging her to continue as he gave her a rhythm to follow with the hand he had buried within her.

It didn't take long for the couple to find their ends from there, Natsu releasing a loud moan as he collapsed against the blonde who was still reeling from her own orgasm. Once he had caught his breath, though, he pulled himself up just enough to give her one last sweet kiss on the lips, grinning down as her hazy eyes met his.

"I love you, Lucy," he whispered quietly, saying the only thing that was on his mind at that very moment. Lucy could only stare up at him, wide-eyed, as her breath hitched in her throat, unable to comprehend what he had just said to her.

Natsu didn't even bother waiting for an answer; at that point he already knew how she felt, even if she didn't. He picked himself up from the bed, moving to the bathroom to clean up, grabbing a towel to give to the still stunned woman on the bed. He couldn't help but chuckle at her at that moment as she absently wiped her hands and put on her night clothes.

Once Lucy was dressed again, she just mechanically sat on the bed, the shock just beginning to wear off. She didn't even notice when Natsu crawled in behind her, reaching an arm around her waist to pull her down into his embrace. As soon as she felt his warm chest next to her, his nose nuzzling her cheek in his happiness, she finally snapped out of her stupor.

The blonde turned in the dragon's arms, looking up at his eyes sparkling with excitement and contentment. She smiled sweetly as he silently moved a stray hair from her face before leaning in to kiss her again, pulling away to lay back as sleep began to claim him.

Lucy only laid there watching him as he began to doze off, still smiling as his arms only tightened more around her. Her own smile didn't fade as she let her own head rest on the curve of his shoulder, sighing happily as the warmth overtook her senses, slowly easing her into slumber.

As her mind finally relaxed, she whispered quietly to the darkness around her, "I love you, too, Natsu."

With her mind overtaken by her dreams, she missed the wide grin form on the dragon slayer's face at that very moment.

* * *

><p>"Please, Erza…" Levy pleaded with the red head, giving the woman her best puppy dog eyes.<p>

"I don't know if I could condone this," Erza said coldly, apparently immune to what was normally the bluenette's secret weapon.

Levy and Gajeel had just finished questioning the hotel owner about a few things that the young script mage had been curious about, things that could greatly aid them in their plans back at the guild. Having gotten the answers she had hoped for, Levy dragged her boyfriend to the S-class mage's new room at the resort, a courtesy Emir had extended to the others out of thanks. The iron mage had wanted to wait until morning, but instead they found themselves in the hall outside Erza's room, practically begging for her help in their plans to get back at Mira, as well as Gray.

"It's Mira, though," Gajeel grunted from where he leaned against the opposite wall of the hallway, "figured you wouldn't mind the chance to 'help' her out."

The exquip mage leveled a glare on the man, sending shivers of fear down his spine that he refused to admit to, before looking at the pleading eyes of the girl in front of her.

"Explain to me what it is you have planned, and what I can expect from this," she demanded, leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed as she looked to actually be considering the favor.

Levy's eyes brightened as she realized Erza was willing to help, as long as their plan met her approval, of course, and that their offer of reimbursement was acceptable. The bluenette quickly rushed into explaining her plan for the guild's barmaid and the master's son, only interrupted momentarily at the mention of Laxus.

Erza had gone wide-eyed as she heard who else would be included in the girl's grand plan, holding a hand up to pause the conversation as she allowed the information to sink in.

"La-, Laxus?" The red-head stuttered in question, her look of disbelief only growing with Levy's firm nod. "He… he likes Mira?" Again a nod from the bluenette came as her answer. "How… wha'… when did this happen?"

"I'm not sure; all I know is what Evergreen and Bixlow have been spreading around the guild the past few weeks." Levy explained with a shrug, waiting as Erza's face suddenly turned as red as her hair while she imagined the possible couple together.

When the script mage glanced back at Gajeel, she saw him pointedly give him a raised eyebrow in question, obviously confused about the other woman's strange reaction. Levy could only shake her head and shrug again before turning back to Erza and clearing her throat to get her attention again. Once the woman blinked her mind clear and gestured for her to continue with the plan, Levy quickly explained what she needed the red-head to do and why, letting her know that part of it would also include Gray and Juvia, eliciting a soft smile and nod of approval from her at the mention of the other potential couple.

"For the most part I approve of this plan, but… my task… that is not… not something I think I am capable of doing…" Erza admitted once Levy was done, obviously uncomfortable with the prospect of what she would need to do.

"Please Erza, we'd really appreciate it. You're the only one who could get him to do this for us." Levy once again pled, this time her eyes having a noticeable effect on the woman who had been weakened by the thoughts running through her head from the favor they asked of her.

"Ahhh… but…." The red-head stuttered, sweating with her nervousness and unease, something that would have had Gajeel quite amused normally, but considering what they needed her to do, he couldn't blame her for her behavior.

"Name you price… I'll make sure it'll be worth it." Levy said firmly, an air of confidence suddenly surrounding her as she preyed on the woman's weakness.

"My price?" Erza repeated in question, obviously having an idea of what she might want that could certainly persuade her. At the bluenette's nod, she smiled softly and gave her consent with a nod of her own, waving the couple into the room so they could discuss the plan more fully and agree on the terms of her cooperation.

Late into the night Levy and Gajeel finally made it back to their room, the pair collapsing in bed from the exhaustion of the day.

"I still can't believe you convinced her to help," the iron mage grumbled as he wrapped his arms around the small woman, curling around her as he finally found a moment to take comfort from her presence. He was quite happy that Lily had offered to remain with Wendy and Charle for the remainder of the trip, obviously aware that Gajeel would want some time alone with his new girlfriend at night. Happy didn't need much convincing, either, to stay away from the other couple- any reason to be with Charle was a good one.

"Still, it's costing me a good chunk of my book collection," Levy groaned, nuzzling her face against his chest as she thought of what she had to give up, "plus I have to take over Mira's cake offer with an extra two months added to it."

"Yeah, but that collection is all that romance crap you claimed to not read," Gajeel teased, earning a bright blush as she remembered how he caught her indulging in the genre only a few nights before. "Whatever, at least she's helping."

"We'll get the supplies from Emir tomorrow. Hopefully it doesn't take Erza too long to get what we need."

"Doesn't matter, it'll be fun to watch Mira and Stripper squirm in the meantime, gi hee. Gray's already expecting something, might as well drag his out a bit so he lets his guard down; and I'm sure Mira will know we're planning something right away, too."

"True," Levy agreed with a yawn, burrowing in closer to Gajeel as he tightened his hold on her, his hand moving to her head to play with her blue locks, mumbling absently as she began to nod off. "One more day, Gajeel… One more day before we have to go back to chaos."

Soon the feeling of his fingers running through her hair plus the steady rhythm of his heart quickly began to lull the girl to sleep, her breathing evening out as she finally succumbed to her fatigue. Gajeel watched her drift off in his arms, still not tired of how well she fit against him, or seeing how much she trusted him to feel safe enough to be so close to him. Too tired to think on it more, though, he buried his nose in her hair, breathing in her clean scent as he followed her to sleep.

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><p><strong>Alright- Levy and Gajeel fanservice next chapter for my fellow hentai readers, hopefully it'll be up fairly quickly.<strong>

**I'm sure many of you are wondering what Erza has to do that she doesn't like... heehee... you'll find out soon enough, just know, you will pity her, lol.**


	19. Chapter 19

**OMG! Back to back updates! I'm so proud of myself right now!**

**After getting over the hump of the mission, plus remembering how to right a dirty dirty plot, I just had to write the next chapter! So... this is pretty much all GaLe, plus more teasing about Erza's task (you'll find out what it is next chapter when I let Gray gets his payback with Juvia's help- I will give a shout out to a previous reviewer here: Treegona- the Gruvia scene changed a bit, but Erza's task is related to something you mentioned that gave me an extra idea... you'll know it right away, and hopefully like how I went about getting it, lol.)**

**Anyway- WARNING! LEMON! I'm not kidding... the entire second section is pure lemony goodness... so all you innocent minds reading this- you have been warned... the last chapter was nothing compared to this. GaLe fans shall rejoice a bit... it's full of citrus, fluff, angst, and even more fluff... you'd better have some cotton on hand to plug your noses with.**

**Disclaimer- do not own Fairy Tail or the characters... stupid copyrights. :P**

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><p>On their last full day at the resort, Levy and Gajeel enjoyed a morning to sleep in and relax, not feeling any pressing need to leave the room before they were ready to. Closing in on lunch, though, as they finally prepared to get something to eat and see the others; they were surprised by a knock on the door.<p>

Gajeel got up from his spot on the couch to answer, the bluenette poking her head out from the bathroom to see who it was. When the iron mage opened the door he was surprised to find someone fromm the hotel staff standing there, a large, carefully wrapped and sealed box cradled in her arms.

"Mr. Redfox, I have the items you and your girlfriend requested for last night," the young woman explained, holding out the package for the now grinning man to take. Gajeel grunted his thanks, shooing her off as he slammed the door shut and turned to show Levy what they got.

"You know, you could have been a little nicer to her," Levy frowned as she approached to inspect what they received.

"Yeah, I also could have just slammed the door in her face the second the box was in my hands," he said with a grin, reminding her that his previous actions were probably the closest thing to being polite he was capable of.

The script mage rolled her eyes at him, but didn't say any more on the matter, instead reviewing the card that came with the box that contained the most important part of their plan. Reading the note from Emir, Levy let herself grin widely, turning bright and excited eyes up to Gajeel as she practically bounced in excitement. The dragon slayer could only chuckle at her sudden change in mood, shaking his head at her silliness before being surprised when she suddenly grabbed his hand to drag him out of the room.

"Let's hurry and find Erza. We can give these to her now so she can get a head start on getting this done," Levy explained as she pulled the man through the halls toward the dining room, hoping to find the red-head at lunch.

As soon as they reached the restaurant, they were happy to find that all the others had already gathered there. Even better was the fact that Gray was there, and already looking at the package in Gajeel's hand suspiciously.

"Erza! We got what we needed!" The bluenette called out to the S-class mage.

Erza, for her part, immediately went wide eyed before turning mechanically in her chair to look at the couple as they reached the table.

"Y-, y-, you did?" She stuttered, immediately drawing Gray's attention to her as he wondered what could be happening to make his childhood friend so nervous.

Levy nodded, taking the box from a grinning Gajeel to hand to the woman. Erza quickly stood, taking the package and preparing to leave without another word. When Lucy and Natsu sent Levy a confused look, the script mage just winked at them, letting them know it was part of their plans. The blonde started giggling, making the ice mage at the table even more confused over what was happening.

"Wait… what the hell is going on?" Gray accused, looking between the two couples and Erza who had her back turned to them as she tried to escape for the door. "Where are you going, Erza?"

"Ummm… I have some business to take care of."

"What business?"

"I-, I-… I have to see someone… I'll meet you guys back at the guild in a few days," she managed to stutter in response, a noticeable shudder running through her, before practically running out of the room to escape any more questioning.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Gray yelled at Levy and Gajeel, not liking the fact that the iron mage was snickering at their friend's uncharacteristic behavior.

"Nothing…" Levy hummed innocently, taking a seat at the table with her boyfriend so they could eat.

"Yeah, like nothing would practically send Erza into a panic," he deadpanned, leveling an accusing glare on the girl as he tried to figure out what they were up to.

"Don't worry, Gray," Lucy said, putting a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder as she spoke. "She'll be fine… probably."

"I'm sure she'll be fine… I'm thinking I need to be more worried about myself, anyway," the ice mage mumbled, earning a round of laughter from the group. Only young Wendy sat there, looking between her teammates with a confused pout on her face. The youngest dragon slayer knew she was missing something and was about to ask before Lily stopped her.

"Don't even think about it, Wendy. They're just being evil. You'll find out eventually," the black Exceed said to her lowly, his arms crossed as he sat on the table and watched the human mages tease and joke with each other. The cat knew Wendy wouldn't be able to understand their plotting anyway; she was far too innocent to.

* * *

><p>After an afternoon playing by the pool with everyone, Levy and Gajeel finally escaped to their room for some more time alone before they had to leave the next morning. As soon as they entered their room, the dragon slayer didn't waste any time pulling the small woman into his arms, kissing her senseless as he had so wanted to do when he first saw her in the bikini she was still wearing. He had a hard enough time holding back while they were at the pool, and now that they were alone again, he was going to take full advantage of having her undivided attention.<p>

Still standing by the door, Gajeel reached down to pick the bluenette up, wrapping her legs around his waist as he supported her thighs. As he devoured her mouth with his he slowly walked them to the bed, pausing at times when she ground herself against his quickly hardening member.

Before dropping her onto the bed, he quickly undid the ties to her bikini, stripping her completely as he refused to relinquish his hold on her lips. Levy only let him, knowing she was in no position at that moment to deny him anything. Once she was bare to him, Gajeel finally released her, throwing her onto the bed and watching her bounce slightly on the soft surface. As much as he wanted to climb on top of her right then, he figured he had enough time that night to take a moment and appreciate the sight of the slender and curvy woman sprawled over the bed; a bright pink blush staining her cheeks and chest from her excitement.

With the vision ingrained in his mind, he finally stripped himself and tackled the script mage again, reclaiming her mouth as his hands wandered over her form. His mouth moved away from hers to nibble all along her neck and collarbone while one hand worked to pinch her taut nipples, her moans making him grin against her soft skin. When she bucked against him, though, her wet core rubbing against his length; Gajeel could do little more than curse under his breath, trying desperately not to give into his fullest desires.

Instead he pulled away slightly, leaning to one side so his hand could move down and tease her womanhood, drawing deeper moans and mewls from Levy as she clung to him, practically begging for more. As he let his fingers enter her, the woman turned onto her side slightly, wrapping a leg around his waist as she kissed him desperately. He wrapped his other arm underneath her, holding her to him as they lay on their sides, his hand still plunging into her core.

Gajeel couldn't help but be surprised, though, when Levy moved a hand down to his length, grasping him and then lining him up with her entrance, forcing his hand out of the way as she teased herself with the head.

"Levy?" He grunted in question, pulling away to search her eyes for some clue of what she was thinking. Only a few nights before she had told him she wanted to wait, but now she was literally demanding with her actions that he take her completely; he couldn't help but be confused by the development.

"Gajeel…" she moaned, looking up with eyes full of desperation and an emotion he had not long ago doubted he'd ever gain from the young woman, "I want this, I want you… I love you, Gajeel… so please."

The second the words were out of her mouth he moved to cover her again, claiming her mouth in another passionate yet loving kiss as he slowly began to push into her. Once he was positioned to break through her innocence, he stopped to lean his forehead against hers, smiling down at her as he let her have one last chance to stop before there was no going back. When she only smiled in return, a slight hint of nervousness passing through her eyes, he knew she was more than willing. He moved his face again to kiss her nose, her forehead, her cheeks, feeling the slight tension in her body melt away with the surprisingly gentle treatment. As he pulled his hips back slightly in preparation to push through her maidenhood; Gajeel moved to nuzzle her neck, letting his lips brush her ear as he whispered to her.

"I love you, too, Levy."

With his returned confession he plunged in completely, taking her as his own in every way. Once in he paused again, despite the nearly painful tightness he was enveloped in, letting the bluenette calm down from the pain of the tearing. Gajeel tightened his arms around her shoulders, hugging her to him as he leaned up to kiss her cheek, wincing at the scent of her tears that assaulted him.

He hated her tears, more than anything else in the world. They reminded him of how they met, reminded him of his greatest regret. He had never wanted to make her cry again, yet he somehow seemed to cause her pain in one way or another. She cried when he beat her, she cried when he saved her, and now she's crying as he takes her.

Levy could sense his hesitation and looked to see him straining against himself, holding back as all his doubts seemed to play across his face. The young woman reached her hand up, pushing back his untamed black hair to put her palm against his cheek, drawing him out of his suddenly dark thoughts as he snapped his eyes open to look into her own. Through her pained tears, she smiled up at him, planting a soft kiss on his lips to ease his tension and worries. When he returned it after a second, deepening it slightly as he let his emotions spill over into the kiss, Levy let her hips push against his to let him know it was okay to continue.

Gajeel forced himself to take it slow, letting her get used to the new feeling, but Levy quickly urged him to go faster, sending both of them into a state of ecstasy as they moaned with the feelings running through them. As the script mage wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck, her legs around his waist, she panted while drawing him in as tightly as possible. Gajeel could only grunt into her neck as her scent began to overwhelm him along with the sensations of her body so tight around him. It didn't take them much longer before they reached the peak, tumbling over together as they collapsed onto the bed, sweaty and exhausted from their love making.

The iron dragon rolled to his side once he had completely gathered his wits, pulling Levy's pliant body with him as they relaxed in the aftermath of their high. As he looked at the woman's tired face, he couldn't hold back his grin of pure satisfaction, leaning in to kiss her forehead and lips softly. When she blushed shyly at his attentions he let out a chuckle before ruffling her hair and pulling her into a tight hug.

"I really do love you, Levy," he whispered to her again, far too happy to care about how cheesy and hopelessly romantic her might sound at that moment. She had already confessed to feeling the same, he didn't have to fear her pushing him away or rejecting him.

"I love you, too, Gajeel," she answered with a yawn, burrowing into his chest as he moved to snag the covers, wrapping them around their bodies tightly to keep them warm as the drifted to sleep in each others arms.

As soon as they got back to Magnolia, Gajeel was going to make sure she was by his side every night and every day, there was no way he could go back to sleeping without her and not waking up to her bright face every morning. Never again would his life be empty and dark now that he had her.

* * *

><p><strong>OO**

**I'm a shameless, shameless perv, I know... who also loves a fluffy Gajeel.  
><strong>

**Next chapter- Gruvia! It'll probably be short, but I hope any Gruvia fans reading this will like it- it'll be my first time writing them, so we'll see how it turns out. Those last two manga chapters have really given me something more to work with for them.  
><strong>


	20. Chapter 20

**Alright, it's the Gruvia chapter! Soooooo... I'm going to say Juvia hijacked my brain/hands as I wrote this because it went into a direction I really really wasn't planning, lol... and it's longer than I thought I'd manage... So... ummm... warning... Gruvia _lemon_ ahead! I really hadn't planned on it turning into that, maybe implied, but not this... apparently my perviness is back at full force. ^/^**

**Anyway- I hope you enjoy this chapter... and I think some of you might figure out Erza's extra mission as the chapter progresses, but if you don't, don't worry, at the end of the chapter it's explained completely, lol. I cut it off where it did, though, because I don't want to give away all of Mira's 'punishment' right now. Also, I hope I didn't mess Gruvia up- I've never read their fics, and I'm not a big time fan (I'm rooting for Juvia to get Gray, it's just not my top pair). Oh- and props to Treegona again for calling part of this- though I decided against having Gray bound and gagged and thrown into Juvia's room by Gajeel- the recent manga chapters made me want Gray going of his own free will (sorta).**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, they belong to Hiro Mashima.**

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><p>A week had past since they returned from the mission, a return that elicited a rather large celebration as all of Fairy Tail reveled in the two new couples, and the bets they won. Mirajane had been ecstatic, though wary, of her successful matchmaking scheme, giving out free rounds of liquor to everyone. The excitement finally began to die down after a few days, giving the group a much needed chance to rest and relax after a long week away. Only one of the team members couldn't seem to relax as he worried about what might happen to him should the two new couples keep to their obvious promise of revenge.<p>

Gray had watched idly as, a few days after getting back to the guild, Erza finally returned from her "important business." The red-head seemed normal to the untrained eye, but he could see the frazzled state of her mind as she made a bee line for Levy and Gajeel, dropping off two boxes before leaving the guild once again. The next time he saw her, a whole day later, she seemed calmer, but refused to elaborate on the mission the couple had given her, choosing to focus all her attention on a piece of strawberry cake Mira had treated her to, along with a new book Levy had apparently given her in return for her help.

By the end of that first week back the ice mage was on edge, keeping his entire focus on Levy and Gajeel to try and get some idea of what they might do. It was at that time that Juvia finally returned from her mission with Lamia Scale's Lyon. Gray couldn't help it as his attention began drifting to her presence, his curiosity over her mission beginning to override his fear of his friends. It just so happened, though, that as soon as she entered the building, Levy and Gajeel went straight for her, apparently making sure she heard the big news from them first.

Gray frowned slightly as he watched the scene, thinking it odd that Gajeel would care who Juvia heard about his new relationship from. He couldn't hear a word they were saying from his seat by the bar, but it was obvious that the rain woman was ecstatic- practically jumping on the incredibly stunned Gajeel for a hug. He figured they also mentioned something about Lucy and Natsu, since her eyes immediately snapped to him, hearts forming around her as she clapped her hands together in delight as she heard that her supposedly biggest love rival was taken.

The ice mage, suddenly missing a shirt, tried to hold back his smirk at watching the former Phantom mage's excitement, keeping his head turned towards the bar as much as he could while still watching them. Gray was still suspicious, even if the conversation looked normal, he just couldn't help but think they were up to something. The minute he saw Levy pass a remarkably familiar box to Juvia, he immediately renewed his questioning of the situation. His instincts had told him that whatever Erza had returned with a few days prior was related to the two couples' plans, but he couldn't understand why they were giving one of those packages to Juvia.

Gray continued to watch silently as Juvia opened her supposed gift while Levy quietly explained something to her. The water mage's eyes immediately snapped to the smaller woman's face, shock crossing her features as she listened to her. Before Levy was completely finished explaining, though, Gajeel clamped a hand on his old friend's shoulder, forcing her attention onto him as he growled something at her threateningly. Of course Juvia brushed off his tone as if it were nothing, only she and Levy capable of ignoring his aggressive personality, instead choosing to nod rapidly and hug the box containing her present happily.

To Gray's surprise, Juvia suddenly turned and headed out of the guild, not bothering to come and talk to him like she normally would. The rain woman was apparently too excited about getting her gift home to care about talking to him. His confusion must have shown since, as he stared blankly at the guild doors his friend had just ran out of, Gajeel came over to him and clapped him on the back, forcing him to snap his attention to the wide grin on the dragon slayer's face.

"Gihee, if yer worried 'bout her maybe you should head over to her place."

"…"

"Don't give me that look, Stripper," Gajeel growled at the dark glare he received from the ice mage. "Come on, I'm sure Erza would let you in if you went to the dorm to see that rain woman."

"Erza?" Gray mumbled, once again suspicious of the situation, it seemed his paranoia knew no ends when it came to his own friends.

"Just go," the iron dragon slayer finally growled at him, leveling his most intimidating glare on him as the hand he placed on Gray shoulder tightened painfully.

"AYE!" Gray whimpered, ripping his abused arm from his grip before scampering out of the guild as fast as he could. Normally the ice mage couldn't be intimidated so easily by anyone other than Erza, Mira, and occasionally Lucy; but that glare was without a doubt a throwback to Gajeel's days in Phantom Lord- it was surprisingly terrifying being on the other end of that piercing look.

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><p>Gray was surprised to find Erza waiting for him outside Fairy Hills, a weird smile on her face as she greeted him. He walked in his usually cool gate, though each step was taken more carefully than normal, his guard up at the strangeness of everything that day.<p>

"Gray," Erza nodded, patting his shoulder with an armored hand. "Have you come to see Juvia?"

"Uh… yeah…" he responded warily, his nerves getting the best of him as her knowing smile widened. He hated the fact that she knew far more about his thoughts than he himself did.

"Well, I've already allowed you permission to enter," his long time friend explained, the fact that she seemed to already know he was coming here sending off warning bells in his mind. "Just know this- I approve."

"Huh?" Was all Gray managed to get out at her cryptic message before she literally shoved him through the door, hollering directions to Juvia's room as she moved to leave the premises.

Gray figured it was best not to question the requip mage's actions and just head to Juvia's room, she was sure to have some answers herself. Making his way down the hallway Erza indicated, he stopped at the room labeled for Juvia. To his surprise the door was open, allowing him to step in and take in the typically girly room.

It was surprisingly simple compared to rumors he had heard about the other girls' rooms in the past- Levy's massive book collection, Bisca's zoo, and Erza's five rooms worth of armor. Juvia's room had a single bookshelf on one wall, a desk by the window, a princess style day bed opposite the bookshelf, and a seating area with two small couches and coffee table tucked into the corner. He spotted the woman he came to see arranging some cherry blossoms in a vase on the coffee table, filling the decorative blue and green ceramic with her own water to help the fragile pink blooms thrive. He also took note of a deep purple glass bottle sitting on the table next to the vase, obviously a perfume of hers.

Gray cleared his throat, gaining the surprised woman's attention as she turned to him and nearly fell off the couch in shock.

"Gr- Gray-sama? What are you doing here?" Juvia stuttered out, recovering enough to stand and walk over to him, gesturing for him to enter the room completely as she shut the door behind him for some privacy.

"Eh? Saw you got back and was curious about your mission," he calmly explained, wandering her room to take it in better, fingering the sheer curtains around her bed as he spoke before moving to plop down onto a couch.

"Oh! Well, my mission with Lyon-sama went well," she answered, grabbing a tea pot to calm her nerves from his presence. "Um, do you want some tea, Gray-sama?"

"Sure," Gray answered distractedly, his eyes examining the blossoms on the table in front of him. He leaned forward, letting his fingers brush over the soft petals slightly, breathing in the flowery scent they emitted. "I saw you were arranging these just now, they new or something?"

"Ummm… yes, they were a gift from Levy-chan and Gajeel-kun. They also got me that bottle of perfume on the table."

"Oh?" The warning bells were going off again in his mind as he picked up the innocent looking bottle, examining it as if it might hold some clue to their scheme.

"Uhmhm," she hummed in the affirmative, sitting next to him as she set down the freshly brewed tea along with the cups and saucers. She continued to talk as she poured their drinks, calming down again with the task distracting her. "Levy-chan said Erza-san went through a lot of trouble to get that perfume made for them after your mission. It's made with those same cherry blossoms, and they decided to give me the left over branches for decoration."

"That was quite nice of them," Gray mumbled, still examining the bottle in his fingers, at least until Juvia drew his attention to the steaming cup of tea she held out to him. With a grunt of thanks, the ice mage took the tea, setting the perfume back onto the table as he switched his focus back to the woman. "So, tell me more about your mission. Did Lyon cause any problems for you?"

"We- well, Lyon-sama was the same as he always is," Juvia explained, turning her blushing face down to her tea, keeping her side to the curious; and secretly annoyed, man next to her. "But Juvia took care of it."

"You took care of it?" Gray asked, turning stunned eyes to the blushing woman as he set his cup down, twisting his body so he could sit facing her. He draped an arm around the back of the couch, leaning in to take her in better as he sought an explanation.

"Ju- Juvia told Lyon-sama that she was not interested in him that way and…." She explained, trailing off into a mumble while taking a sip of tea, her face turned to the side so he couldn't see her expression.

"Juvia," he sighed in exasperation, reaching to take the cup from her hands and get her attention back on him, "what happened exactly?"

Her face was turned back to him thanks to one of his cool hands on her chin, but she kept her eyes down, still feeling quite shy talking about what happened with Lyon.

"He… he kissed me…" she practically whispered, surprising Gray as she spoke in the first-person, telling him how chaotic her emotions must have been concerning his rival and kind of brother-figure.

"He kissed you?" Gray prompted quietly, leaning his face down to try and get her eyes back on him. With his proximity he idly noted the scent of the cherry blossom perfume on her skin, the flowery aroma mixing with her own in an indescribable way. It had a strangely calming effect on him as he slid closer to the rain woman, instinctively trying to get closer to the source of the comforting feeling. The arm he had laying on the back of the couch behind her shifted slightly so he could run the fingers of his other hand through her soft, wavy hair.

"Yes," Juvia's voice suddenly broke into his calm reverie, reminding him that he had asked her a question. Her attention was completely on him now, her sparkling eyes searching his as she continued to talk more resolutely. "But Juvia pushed him away and said that... that Juvia only cared about Gray-sama in that way."

Her firm declaration of her feelings had Gray shocked still, his eyes wide as he looked down at her face full of hope and determination. The ice mage already knew about her feelings for him, it was hard not to know, but she had never told him her feelings in such a serious and resolute manner directly to him. He had always found her attractive, but could never really take her declarations so seriously since they were either shy or so over the top he couldn't tell if they were truly as deep as she believed.

Before he could manage to think any more on her words or his own feelings, Gray was surprised by the feel of Juvia's lips on his own. Somehow in the moments between her straightforward confession and his thoughts overtaking his senses, the rain woman had crawled onto his lap, straddling him as she stole a kiss from him. His hands froze in the air for a moment as he looked at her face with wide eyes, taking in the feel of her soft, plump lips on his, her eyes shut as she waited and hoped for him to return her kiss. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, holding there lightly so if he wanted to break away he could.

As the initial shock finally wore off, Gray let his eyes slide closed as he hungrily return the kiss, gaining a squeak of surprise from the woman as his hands latched onto her legs, pulling her in closer as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. The ice mage had completely ceased thinking at that moment, instead letting himself enjoy the feel of Juvia's body under his fingertips, the softness of her skin, the taste of her mouth, everything. Eventually he had to give into the need to breathe, pulling away to trail kisses down her neck as he breathed in the scent of her skin and the perfume lacing with it.

As her moans and ragged breathing rang in his ears, his hands having wandered to slip the straps of her dress down so he could feel more of her skin and curves, he couldn't help but have a nagging thought at the back of his mind. There was something about the perfume that had bothered him before, but for the life of him he couldn't remember what, or why he cared.

Instead he focused on the feel of her large breasts filling his palms, rolling the tight buds between his finger tips as he desperately attacked her mouth again. Before he knew it he had his shirt off and was tackling the woman to the couch, moving his kisses down her body as he pulled her dress off completely. He was actually surprised he was still dressed as much as he was, considering his penchant for stripping, but he figured he was a bit too busy undressing the gorgeous woman who had thrown herself at him.

Once she was bare to him, only a scrap of white lace covering her womanhood, he laid his body back over hers; idly noting that he had somehow successfully gotten himself down to his boxers without any thought. He let his hips roll against hers once she wrapped her firm thighs around his waist, his mouth nibbling and sucking on her slender neck as his hands continued to take in every bit of her body in their frenzied embrace.

"Gray-sama!" She cried out suddenly when he bit down on a particularly sensitive spot while rolling his hips just right. In her excitement Juvia suddenly rolled them over, causing them to fall off the couch where she promptly landed on top of him, not wasting any time as she let her own hands wander down, taking a firm grasp of his hard member, which was when he realized he somehow managed to get his boxers off. He was at least happy to see that he somehow also succeeded at getting her underwear off, as well.

"Shit," he moaned as her hands glided over him, making him feel even more desperate to have her as he watched her sitting on his thighs, her attention absorbed by bringing him as much pleasure as she could.

Gray quickly sat himself up, trying to regain his control over his body by capturing her mouth again while moving his own hand to play with her wet folds, moving two fingers to pump in and out of her. He knew she was close, but before she got there, she surprised him further by moving atop him more, removing his hands in favor of sitting on his aching erection. They both moaned at the feeling of their bodies joining together, her tight, wet heat causing him to buck up.

As Juvia literally rode the ice mage, Gray couldn't help it as his eyes were suddenly caught by the bottle of perfume sitting inconspicuously by the vase of cherry blossoms. Through the fog of pleasure he began to realize something, remembering the two couples mentioning something about cherry blossoms shortly after Lucy and Natsu got together, and they learned how to break the rune traps. His eyes went wide when it hit him, though at the same time Juvia crying his name brought his attention back to the woman in his lap, who was obviously at her peak, bringing him over with her as he groaned against her sweat slicked shoulder.

Considering how fast everything went, he should have realized it sooner. He wasn't one to just jump into bed with a woman, even if she did initiate it, and he knew Juvia wasn't the type to be so bold and aggressive, no matter how much she may care for him. In a way he couldn't complain, if this was his punishment, then he was more than happy to receive it, he'd be stupid to complain about a beautiful woman like Juvia, who was madly in love with him, forcing herself on him. Well, maybe at another time he would, but right then, he was enjoying himself too much to care to be mad. He was sure Juvia would explain it to him if he asked, until then he would make sure they both got as much enjoyment out of whatever spell they were under as was possible.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback to one week prior<em>

"_Okay, Erza, here's the plan for them- we learned something interesting about the enchanted cherry blossoms in the gardens; we want you to take them and get them made into a perfume- enough for three bottles." Levy explained to the red head._

"_Perfume? Why are you asking me to do this task in particular?" Erza asked suspiciously, already guessing where this might be taking her. "And what will you need the perfume for?"_

"_Well, the cherry blossoms are enchanted to cause feelings of euphoria and excitement, as well as having a slight sedative effect, when around a person you are attracted to… or love. The stronger the feelings, the more potent the blossoms' spell is, even more so when you have heightened senses," the bluenette continued to explain, purposefully avoiding her question on why her. Erza merely raised a confused brow at her, not quite understanding where she was going with this. "We want to give this perfume to Mira, Juvia, and you."_

"_Huh? Why me? And where does Juvia come into this?"_

"_You are going to get a bottle as part of your payment," Levy slyly explained, leveling a knowing grin on her as Erza suddenly began to blush at the glint in the other girl's eyes, "you know, in case you run into someone special."_

_Gajeel tried not to snicker as the S-class mage obviously drifted into a series of dirty thoughts that no doubt included the leader of Crime Sorciere, Jellal, but her obviously flustered state made it too difficult to hold back his amusement. When she snapped out of her daydream and leveled a dark glare on him, he quickly swallowed any more laughs and allowed the girls to continue._

"_Okay, I guess that is fair. So, then, what about Juvia?"_

"_For the next time she might find herself alone with Gray."_

_Erza immediately went wide eyed as she realized what they meant, she certainly approved of giving Gray a good shove towards the water mage, and if that was going to be his 'punishment' for messing with their love lives, then it was certainly a good one. Seeing that they obviously had particular targets, though, had her questioning who they were looking at pairing Mira with._

"_And Mira?" she asked, voicing her last bit of confusion._

"_Apparently Laxus has been showing some interest in her, and she's certainly been spending quite a bit of time with him since the Grand Magic Games."_

_The red-head could only blink at that revelation, not quite able to absorb it at the moment, though her face was once again turning the color of her hair as she thought of them together. Instead her sudden daydreaming was interrupted as she realized Levy had continued to talk about her plan, and she hadn't heard any of it._

"_I'm sorry, what was that last part?"_

"_Ummm…" Levy once again began, incredibly nervous about this part of the request. "Well, the reason we need you to do this is because you know a perfume mage who would be willing to do anything you needed if you asked."_

"_I-, Ichiya?" Erza stuttered out in shock. "You need me to go to Ichiya to have this perfume made?"_

_Levy nodded shyly, pulling away slightly as she tried to shield herself from the unpredictable woman by hiding behind Gajeel._

"_But… but… it's Ichiya!" She hollered, jumping to her feet to pace around the room, obviously not happy with the plan now, even though she suspected it the moment she heard about the perfume. "You said this perfume effects people when they're around someone they're attracted to… what if… what if he… does something to me?"_

_Levy felt bad as she watched the older woman visibly shudder at the thought of Ichiya throwing himself at her, and she possibly unable to fight it should she fall under the spell's effects. This was where an important aspect of Emir's information on the enchantment came into the picture, an explanation Levy quickly rushed into in the hopes it would calm the fidgeting requip mage._

"_Emir explained that the enchantment can only affect people if the attraction or affection is reciprocated. That's why it had an effect on Gajeel and I, and Natsu and Lucy. If it weren't for our shared feelings for each other nothing would have happened between us in those gardens."_

"_Wait… something happened between you two in the gardens?" Erza suddenly asked, oddly distracted as she had only heard about Natsu and Lucy's situation from that day._

"_Yes… but that's not the point… well, it is, but still. As long as you are not secretly attracted to Ichiya, then you should be fine. He won't act in any way differently than he normally does, and you won't succumb to the spell, either." Levy explained, happy to see Erza slowly start to relax, finally moving back to her seat on the couch as she thought more on the plan._

"_What exactly was your idea with Mira again?"_

* * *

><p><strong>*insert another blushy face here*<em><br>_**

**Mira x Laxus (or LaMi as I've taken to... it's means lick in Spanish apparently, lol) next chapter... and then the story is over *sob*  
><strong>

**Thank you again to all of my reviewers for leaving me your kind words... and all of you who have been reading this- thank you, too.  
><strong>


	21. Author's note

Sorry guys, this is not an update, but I feel it is important to put this out there at the moment. My last chapter should be out in about a day, or less.

As has come to my attention recently, this site is planning a large scale purge of mature content.

This upheaval puts thousands of amazing stories at risk of deletion, because of content that is considered sexual, violent, and so on. Obviously many of you know why this is a concern to me, and I'm sure a lot of you have other authors you follow (or you yourself) with the same reasons to worry. But more importantly I feel this is a gross waste of people's hard work, dedication, talent, and aspirations when far better solutions can be used to better filter the content on this site.

There are petitions spreading throughout the internet- facebook, tumblr, even this very site- to put a stop to this attempt at stifling individuals' creativity. I ask all of you who believe that this site should remain free for aspiring writers to express their creativity in whatever way possible to sign these petitions and let the administrators know that your discontent with this situation.

There is one particular petition that is nearing 9,000 signatures thus far (at 7:30 pm MST June 5th, 2012). Go to Change . org (without the spaces) and search out 'Fanfiction . net : STOP the destruction of Fanfiction . net!' (again without the spaces in the site name) to sign and join the thousands hoping to prevent the mass upheaval of this site.

Update: After careful consideration, after the fact, lol... while I still highly dislike censorship, I understand that changes will more than likely be made throughout the site. If it comes to that, I will still continue to post the vast majority of my work here, but anything that pushes that border than has been deemed unacceptable, will be edited out and re-posted separately on a different site. I know the same thing has been done in the past (such as when the MA rating was removed 10 yrs ago), so, if need be, I will utilize other creative forums so that anyone who does life to read my work in it's entirety can still do so, though elsewhere.

Thank you for your patience with my note- this whole thing kinda came as a shock to me today, I'm still trying to process how I intend to go about dealing with this.


	22. Chapter 22

**I'm sorry, this ended up taking way longer than I planned. I got about halfway through the chapter and my brain just hit a wall. I lost all motivation all of a sudden, but luckily, Laxus being a badass helped bring it back a bit. So, this is the last chapter, just for the Laxus x Mira fans out there. :D I might do an epilogue if I find the inspiration for one, or a little side story/one shot to expand on the end, but as of now I'm calling this story complete.**

**I want to thank all of my reviewers again, you're kind words and support really kept me going. Even if I didn't respond to everyone, just know that you all mean a lot to me.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Fairy Tail, the belong to the amazing Mashima-sensei.**

* * *

><p>Tucked away at a table in the corner of the guild, two women sat in shadows, drumming their fingers and sighing in annoyance. Their final plan was falling apart. It was as simple as that.<p>

Two months had gone by. Two months since the group had returned from the mission Mira had set up. Two months since they had successfully gotten 'revenge' on Gray and, indirectly, Erza. Two months since they had handed over their special enchanted perfume to the white haired barmaid. And lastly, two months since Laxus had been in the guild at the same time as them.

Levy and Lucy were not going to give up until they got those two caught in their trap, especially after learning about the lightning mage's involvement in Mira's plan. The only problem was the S-class mages seemed to suspect they were up to something, and went out of their way to avoid them as much as possible.

Shortly after Gray's 'punishment,' Laxus went out on a long mission. They had waited patiently for him to return, but at some point Levy had to do a mission with her own team, and without her, they couldn't lay their trap. So only two weeks after he had left, Laxus returned, right in the middle of Levy's own mission. By the time she got back, he was walking out of the guild, right passed her, waving back with another mission flyer in hand.

Two weeks later, Mira left for a very rare mission with her siblings; that alone told the two girls that she was suspicious of them. During that time, Laxus only came back long enough for a drink with his team before heading out again, this time perfectly coordinated with Mira's own return. The pattern only continued for the next month, neither mage staying in the same place for long.

Something was definitely going on, they knew that much. Lucy had made it perfectly clear to Gray that Mira was not to know the circumstances surrounding the start of his relationship with Juvia, yet it seemed somehow the demon mage had put it together and knew that they had had a hand in it. How she knew that their other target was Laxus was beyond them, but she definitely knew.

"I think we might need to enlist help," Levy finally admitted after glaring at Mira scurrying around the bar for the last hour.

"I think you're right… But who?" Lucy agreed; sighing as her head sunk to the table, feeling completely defeated.

"Lisanna and the Raijinshuu," the bluenette answered with a nod, turning her now determined eyes on the group in question that just happened to be sitting together a few tables away.

"I'm sure Bixlow and Evergreen would be willing to help, considering they're the ones who started the rumor about Laxus liking Mira, but I can't see Freed or Lisanna working against either of those two."

"Oh, don't worry; Lisanna is just as much a sucker for romance as her sister- she'll help. As for Freed… we'll just have to find a way to convince him."

* * *

><p>"Come on Mira-nee! Just join us for one drink!" Lisanna begged her sister, tugging on her hand as she tried to pull her to the table she was sharing with the Raijinshuu. Laxus had just returned from yet another mission, and had been literally tackled by his self proclaimed body guards and forced to join them for a few rounds. Lisanna and Elfman were already hanging out with them, so, of course, the only one missing from the group was the eldest Strauss sibling, and the youngest wasn't about to let that go.<p>

"I have to work, Lisanna," Mira tried to argue while balancing a full tray of drinks that she had been taking over to Cana's group.

"No one will mind if you unwind for just a little bit," the younger girl whined, pouting at her sister in the hopes it would soften her resolve.

The barmaid quickly glanced at the table her sister was trying to lead her to, turning away as soon as she caught Laxus' cautious stare.

"Maybe later," she waved off before pulling away to serve her drinks. Unfortunately, Lisanna only followed, obviously not willing to give up on the matter.

"Cana!" Lisanna suddenly called as they approached the card mage's table. "Don't you think Mira-nee needs to take a break and have a drink with us?"

"Huh?" Cana questioned drunkenly, taking a break from her keg to grab the tray loaded with mugs and bottles from the other woman. Lisanna only sighed in annoyance before gesturing with her head towards her sister and then the table her group was seated at. The brunette seemed to realize what the girl was getting at as she immediately sobered up long enough to smile knowingly at Mira. "Oh yeah! Mira you definitely need to get off yer feet for a bit! I think I'm good for a few minutes, and if I need anything I'm sure Kinana could grab me something."

"You're not the only one drinking, Cana," Mira pointed out sweetly, though the girls could discern an icy tone to her words as she continued to try and get out of the situation.

"Hmmmm…" Cana hummed in thought, narrowing her eyes as she looked around the guild. When she broke out into a grin, Mira knew the woman had an idea that she wasn't going to like.

"OI! Ya lazy drunkards!" The brunette hollered out, ignoring the grumbled comments about her being the laziest drunk there. "Mira's gonna go on break now! So let 'er have a drink with 'er family in peace! Got it!"

The guild merely cheered in agreement, everyone raising their mugs in understanding. Everyone except for Laxus, who seemed to be looking for an escape route, but couldn't get away as Freed and Evergreen literally draped themselves over him, while Bixlow stood behind him, laughing hysterically with his arms crossed. One glance at the elder Strauss sibling, and he could see she felt the same thing. They were officially trapped.

One was never to underestimate the power of Mira's ability at gathering information. The moment she saw Gray walking hand and hand into the guild with Juvia, a day after watching Gajeel literally scare the man into running over to her place, she knew who was responsible. Mira was also quite wary about the perfume she had received from Lucy, supposedly a gift of thanks for helping her and Natsu finally get together. She had learned that Erza and Juvia had also received a bottle. If it had only been Erza, she wouldn't have thought anything of it, but after hearing of Juvia's present that was followed up almost immediately with an official relationship with Gray; she quickly began to doubt the innocence of the concoction, and refused to wear it. She was also just as aware of the rumors started by the Raijinshuu as everyone else, so she of course deduced that they would target Laxus along with her, something which became all the more certain after Levy had learned of what happened to her teammates.

Laxus wasn't about to question the guild's queen of gossip and information, so when she told him to keep away from her for as long as possible, he listened. On a personal level, he didn't entirely mind the fact that the two new couples were aiming to possibly set him up with Mira, but he knew that whatever they did probably wasn't going to be very enjoyable. He'd much rather win over the cover girl on his own, anyway, and there was a good possibility that any pressure on her could end up hurting his chances in the end. The lightning mage wasn't about to let a silly revenge plot screw up months of building trust and friendship with the woman, and take away his chances at getting even one date out of her.

Once Lisanna had successfully gotten Mira to the table, she proceeded to pull the older woman into the seat next to Laxus, Evergreen having suddenly abandoned it to sit with Elfman on the other side. The younger Strauss then quickly took the seat on the other side of her to make sure she didn't make a run for it. As Evergreen pushed a mug at the other woman, Bixlow moved to wrap his arms around the two S-class mages' necks, laughing as he squeezed the two together with his hug.

"This is going to be fun!" The seith wizard proclaimed, his dolls repeating his announcement as they flew around them.

Mira immediately tensed before turning to once again lock eyes with the blonde man next to her. Laxus didn't look any better, but he seemed more capable of hiding his unease with the situation behind an annoyed scowl. She was somewhat surprised, though, when he merely lifted his mug in cheers to her before turning back to converse with the others. The gesture worked well to calm her, lessening the pressure of being so close to him with the knowledge that Levy and Lucy were aiming for them. With his attention off of her, she decided to relax a little bit and enjoy her time with her family, but the demon mage wasn't about to let her guard down completely; she made sure to keep a very close eye on a certain pair of couples sitting a few tables away.

* * *

><p>"It's working!" Lucy whispered to her best friend, barely able to contain her excitement as they watched Lisanna and the Raijinshuu corral the two S-class mages into the designated area. "I can't believe that this is finally it!"<p>

Levy nodded excitedly beside her, practically bouncing in place as she saw her well laid trap get sprung after two long months of waiting. As she had thought, the youngest Strauss sibling and Laxus' teammates were quite willing to help them in their plan. Freed didn't even take nearly as much convincing as they thought he would, apparently his high regard for Mira made him more than happy to set her up with his beloved leader.

The girls didn't even care if their intentions were as plain as day at this point, they knew Mira and Laxus had figured them out months ago, so it would only be a waste of time, and an insult to the two older mages, to play innocent in the whole matter. As such, they stared quite openly at the table hosting the would be couple, even as Mira turned to look at them, the supposed innocence of her gaze not enough to hide the deadly promise in her eyes. The silent threat certainly sent shivers down their spines, though they maintained their excited grins the whole time.

"I'm starting to wonder if you two have a death wish, or something?" Gajeel grumbled from next to Levy, sitting with his back turned to the scene with the hope that if he didn't see Mira's rage, he might endure its effects on his psyche. Unfortunately he could still feel her glare penetrate his very soul, so he had no idea how the girls were managing to hold up while so openly watching.

"It'll be fine, Gajeel…" Levy reassured him calmly, before trailing off into a mumbled 'hopefully' he just barely caught.

The iron dragon snorted in amusement at her forced confidence, he was pretty much prepared to make a run for it, with her tossed over his shoulder, of course, should things get out of hand- which was sure to happen knowing this guild. He had to admit, though, that he was surprised they even managed to pull this off, he figured they would have given up once they saw Mira knew what they were up to.

"Let them have their fun, Gajeel," Natsu mumbled from beside him, "we'll get out of here as soon as they see this thing through."

"Should probably go on an extended vacation for a while," he answered back with another snort of amusement, "lay low until those two calm down."

"Well, that resort owner did say we were welcome to come back and stay for free, if we wanted."

"Gi hee, it'd be nice to actually go and enjoy myself the entire time."

"Yeah, now maybe you won't be so wound up and ready to strike," Natsu reasoned before narrowing his eyes as a thought came to him.

Without warning he threw a quick punch at Gajeel's face, knocking him out of his chair, and crashing into a table next to them.

"What the hell was that for, Salamandar?" The iron dragon slayer hollered, rubbing the side of his face where the flaming fist made contact.

Natsu cackled in amusement for a bit before answering, "that's for punching me in the theater!"

Gajeel jaw dropped to the floor in astonishment, he remembered punching him then, along with twice while in the caves, but he wasn't exactly expecting Natsu to have forgotten, let alone seek vengeance two months later.

"Seriously, after two months you decide to punch me back?" He growled while getting up from the floor, prepared to start a good brawl with his rival dragon.

"Well, up until then we were pretty even, figured I owed you one!"

"Gi hee, well, I still got a lead on ya, and I don't plan to give that up."

"Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me," Natsu said with another laugh before launching himself at Gajeel again, somehow managing to land another hit before he could react. "One more and we're even!"

"Oh ho… like hell I'll let ya get me again," Gajeel growled, cracking his knuckles before finally launching himself at the other mage and making it an all out brawl. They quickly forgot what they had been doing in exchange for enjoying another good fight to determine who was at the top, of course it rapidly went out of control once Gray jumped in, followed only moments later by Elfman after he escaped from their table.

The girls, despite the chaos erupting around them, continued to watch the group across the guild act as if nothing were out of the ordinary, attempting to relax the two targets enough that they let their guard down. In reality, now that both Laxus and Mira were at the table, it didn't matter if the others did anything else, the trap was already sprung, and soon enough they would realize it. Eventually their cohorts would scatter away, something Elfman had already begun as he jumped into the 'manly' brawl, leaving the last two mages alone, and that's when it'd finally happen. Months of waiting and planning were finally coming to a close, and they could finally go about life as they normally would.

* * *

><p>Mira sat with her sister, pleasantly chatting with Evergreen, while trying to ignore the fact that Levy had finally won, she knew it was only a matter of time before she and Laxus had no other choice but to fall to whatever scheme the script mage had come up with. Elfman had suddenly jumped into the fray that had broken out on the other side of the guild, and not long after Bixlow and Freed let themselves follow, joining the ever growing fight. Laxus was left behind with the girls, as he rarely gave into the chaos of pointless fighting.<p>

For the most part everything seemed normal, at least to anyone who didn't know what was going on. Even as Evergreen suddenly left the table to berate Elfman for his constant shouts of manliness, Mira would have sworn nothing was out of the ordinary, though she, of course, knew better.

Laxus was focusing all his attention on his beer, ignoring the conversation between the sisters beside him; at least he was until he reached the bottom of his mug, which somehow drew Lisanna's attention.

"Oh, Laxus! Let me go get you another drink!" Lisanna suddenly called out, not even bothering to hide her true intentions as she bolted away before anyone could protest, indiscriminately pocketing a small purple bottle as she ran off.

With that, Laxus and Mira were finally alone, and trapped. In the middle of a crowded guild, it was like they were their own island, a pocket of empty space surrounding them as everyone sat back and watched what would happen next.

"What in the world could they have planned?" Mira whispered to the man next to her with a sigh of annoyed defeat.

Laxus shrugged before pulling himself up from the table, "I don't know, and I don't care to find out. I'm getting out of here before they can do anything."

As the lightning mage began to walk away, he found himself stopped dead in his tracks after only a few steps, an invisible wall blocking his path. Releasing a growl of annoyance, he turned to look back at the barmaid sitting at the table behind him, obviously aware of what was happening. He was surprised by how much he disliked the look of defeat on her face; obviously she wasn't too happy with what they may have to do to escape their confinement.

"Damnit," he growled again, turning to search out his most loyal teammate so he could convince him to break Levy's runes so he wouldn't have to deal with an unhappy Mira. "Where the hell is Freed?"

"I saw him sneaking out of the guild as soon as Lisanna left the table," the eldest Strauss informed him, the frown marring her face matching the sad tone she spoke with. "I'm guessing he knew you'd try to get him to free us, and since he can't say no to you, he left so he wouldn't have to."

At this point everyone had stopped what they were doing to see what would happen, even Natsu and Gajeel brought their fight to a halt, mid-swing, to watch. As soon as Laxus gave an aggravated kick to the rune wall, the requirements for their escape flashed to life amongst the runes, eliciting loud cheers and hollers from the audience. Just as Natsu and Lucy had to do in the gardens, Mira and Laxus would have to kiss to release the barrier.

"Shit, real original," the blonde man groaned, turning to Mira to see her staring wide eyed at the instructions. "Let's just get this over with, Mira."

Mira was startled out of her staring by Laxus leaning down in front of her and grabbing her chin. Her eyes only got wider as he quickly covered her lips with his own, kissing her chastely before pulling away. As he stood there staring down at her stoically, she could only gape at him, blinking owlishly as she became aware of her surroundings again, the boisterous cheers making her realize that they were still in the middle of the guild.

"Way ta go, Laxus!"

"Mira's actually speechless!"

"Get a room you two!"

The shouts and catcalls got Mira to her feet, the shock giving way to embarrassment and anger. With a quick glare sent at Levy's group, she turned on her heel and stalked off to the storage room, glad that the short kiss was enough to take down the runes. She hid her face from the rest of guild as she made her escape, only Laxus and those responsible catching sight of her pink cheeks and slightly teary eyes.

"I'll deal with you guys later," Laxus growled at the now wide eyed group of mages behind their entrapment, before quickly following after the barmaid.

"So… who's up for that resort trip?" Levy suddenly called out, turning to a rapidly nodding Lucy next to her.

"Yeah, I think that's a great idea!" The blonde girl agreed, just as enthusiastically.

With a spared glance at each other, Gajeel and Natsu didn't waste any time in picking up their respective girlfriends and running out of the guild as fast as they could. As the guild doors closed behind them, everyone erupted in laughter before returning to their normal activities, drinking away the night as if nothing had happened.

* * *

><p>In the storage room, Mira curled up on top of a crate, leaning against the wall as she tried to bring some order back to her mind.<p>

She knew it was bound to happen eventually, she even saw this coming a mile away, yet she was still shocked and mortified that someone had successfully gotten her at her own game. The worst part was the fact they had made it so public; if they had kept it private, she would have still been angry, but at least she wouldn't be feeling this overwhelming embarrassment.

"Come on, Mira, it's not like you to sulk like this," a deep voice echoed through the room, drawing the woman's attention to a scowling Laxus standing just inside the door.

"Leave me alone, Laxus."

With a drawn out sigh, the tall man closed the door behind him and made his way across the room to the girl. Ignoring Mira's glare, he sat himself beside her and put a reassuring hand atop her head, the gesture having the desired effect of melting away her anger in an instant.

"Was it really so bad?" He mumbled, looking away as she curled back in on herself, though he kept his hand on her head.

"Yes…" she answered with a pout, "they didn't have to do that in the middle of the guild."

"So you wouldn't have minded so much if we were alone like this?"

"Well, I still would have been mad…" she trailed off as she spoke, not feeling entirely comfortable with where the conversation seemed to be heading.

"But?"

"…"

When she didn't answer, Laxus could only sigh and remove his hand, turning back to look at her again, moving her body around so she would look at him.

"You already know I'm interested in you," he said firmly once he caught her eyes. It was a statement of fact, and she nodded to reaffirm it, just as he knew she would. "So… tell me again; if we had been alone, how would you have felt then."

"I don't know…" Mira answered honestly, keeping eye contact even as she frowned at him. "I mean, you're Laxus; you've always been the biggest jerk I've known…"

"But…" He prodded as she once again trailed off, sensing that there was more she had to say.

"But… you've changed. You're still as arrogant as ever, but you've mellowed out, you've learned to appreciate the others in the guild. You've done a lot to show everyone that you care about this guild, and who's in it."

As Mira spoke she allowed her body to unfold itself so she sat facing him, her form more relaxed. Laxus didn't miss the fact that she was becoming more comfortable with him, and leaned closer to her as she continued to talk, sorting out her own thoughts and feelings aloud.

"I mean, I never really gave my feelings for you or anybody any thought. You've really helped me out a lot lately, and you've been a lot of fun to hang around with at the guild, along with our teammates, of course."

"Of course," he idly agreed, drawing Mira's attention to how close the blonde man had gotten to her as she spoke, his face just close enough that their noses brushed.

"I… I guess…" she began to stutter, but didn't get much farther as he sealed her lips with another kiss.

This time he didn't pull away, this time he continued to kiss her until she melted into his embrace and returned the gesture, something that didn't take nearly as long as she thought it would. As soon as she began kissing back, Laxus let out a low groan and leaned in more, laying her back against the crate as he coaxed her mouth open to deepen the kiss.

Only a few minutes later, Laxus pulled away, but didn't go too far as he leaned in to whisper in her ear, planting a few kisses behind the appendage as he spoke.

"Your sister sprayed something on you earlier… you smell amazing, Mira."

"What? When?" Mira gasped out before releasing a moan as the large man continue his assault on her neck, letting his answer out between nibbles.

"When she got up… to get me another beer."

Mira went slack jawed as she realized what had happened. During Lisanna's spontaneous offer earlier, she vaguely remembered feeling something tickle her neck, but brushed it off as a rush of air as the younger woman jumped up from her seat. She had no doubt that her sister had gotten her hands on that perfume she was so suspicious of, and now she fully understood why she didn't trust that concoction.

Unfortunately, she didn't seem to have any way to fight off what was happening to them, instead letting Laxus return his mouth to hers, and letting herself give in to his embrace. As both of their hands started to wander, clothes tugged off, Mira made sure to make a mental note to interrogate Levy on what the perfume did exactly, and if she couldn't find Levy, she knew that at least Juvia and Erza knew. Until then, though, she just gave in to the sensations and enjoyed this unexpected tryst with the overwhelmingly powerful Laxus Dreyar.

* * *

><p>Outside the storage room, five mages sat and listened to the couple inside as they talked, silently praying that things would work out so they wouldn't have to fear for their lives. When they heard the first moan, the Raijinshuu and Strauss siblings gave a round of high fives to each other before quickly escaping before things got more heated.<p>

"I'm so glad for Laxus," Freed quietly said, wiping a tear of joy from his eye as he celebrated the formation of what should be the guild's most powerful couple.

"I know, right," Bixlow agreed before turning to grin devilishly at his other teammate and Elfman walking behind him. "I'm sure Ever and Elfman would have loved to be in that position."

"Shut up, Bixlow!" The pair in question hollered in unison, gaining laughter from the seith magician, as well as the youngest take-over mage walking with them.

"We might want to be prepared for when they come out, still," Lisanna remarked, knowing full well that her sister was probably still going to be on a war path after everything. "How about we all go on a nice long mission?

With one last glance back at the closed door leading to the storage room, and their respective team leaders, the mages let out a collective shout of agreement before rushing for the job board. If all went well, the two frightening S-class mages might be calmed down enough in a week or two, thus making it slightly safer for them to approach again.

All in all, Mira's plan was more of a success than she originally expected. Instead of only two couples coming out of it; four new Fairy Tail couples came to be- five if you include Erza after she came back from a rendezvous with Crime Sorciere, the bright smile on her face telling all that her perfume seemed to work quite well, too.

Levy and Lucy were put to work as Mira's personal slaves for a day after returning from their impromptu vacation; they figured they got off easy since Erza had kindly explained how the perfume worked. Lisanna and Evergreen also ended up becoming her slaves for a day once they got back. The men in both groups, dealt with the same treatment at the hands of Laxus, only Freed didn't seem to mind the punishment. The result with the boys, though, was a lot of fighting, with a lot of property damage, which meant more work for Mira's own slaves.

Eventually everything settled back down to normal, or at least as normal as Fairy Tail could be, well, that is until Master Makarov learned that his grandson had begun dating the guild's cover girl.

* * *

><p><strong>Again, thank you all!<strong>


End file.
